Full Text of SR0586 101st General Assembly
SR0586 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of James "Jim" Benton of Lake Bluff, who | 4 | | passed away on July 11, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Jim Benton was born in Chicago on November 10, | 6 | | 1930; at the age of ten, he moved to Woodstock with his family; | 7 | | he graduated from Woodstock High School in 1948; he enlisted in | 8 | | the United States Navy in November of 1950 and was assigned to | 9 | | the amphibious forces in Little Creek, Virginia; he was | 10 | | discharged as a Radioman 2nd Class in August 1954; he had a | 11 | | Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Education plus 45 | 12 | | additional hours; he studied at Northern Illinois University, | 13 | | the University of Iowa, the University of Oregon, Oregon State | 14 | | University, and the University of California at Berkeley; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Jim Benton taught at Lake Forest High School for | 16 | | 37 years; he contributed to the curriculum by introducing Earth | 17 | | Science, Zoology, Botany, Biology II, and Advanced Placement | 18 | | Biology; he served as science chairman for 22 years; he was | 19 | | director of the Computer Assisted Instruction Center for ten | 20 | | years and was responsible for ushering LFHS into the MacIntosh | 21 | | computer applications age; he also directed the Community | 22 | | Education program and instigated a K-Adult computer education | 23 | | sequence; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Jim Benton's contributions to Lake Forest High | 2 | | School extended beyond the classroom; he served as Homecoming | 3 | | Director for 20 years, Senior Class Advisor from 1991 until | 4 | | 1993, editor and publisher of the association newsletter, The | 5 | | LFEA Shuttle, for 20 years, book store manager for four years, | 6 | | advisor of the Pep Club, the Science Club, the Chess Club, and | 7 | | the Photo Club, co-chair of the dimensions programs, chief | 8 | | negotiator for the LFEA, faculty president of Cum Laude, and | 9 | | supplier of countless photographs for school publications as | 10 | | well as the athletic wall of fame and performing arts/fine arts | 11 | | walls of fame; he wrote Chalkdust in the Trenches, a novel | 12 | | about a typical suburban high school; he maintained contact | 13 | | with over 100 LFHS faculty and staff alumni through a periodic | 14 | | newsletter called Take-a-Break; he built a fully-detailed and | 15 | | lighted model of the newly-remodeled LFHS, which is on | 16 | | permanent display in the library; he redecorated the Public | 17 | | room into a nostalgia/historical center and received the "Most | 18 | | Groovy Teacher" award in 1963; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Jim Benton studied the trumpet and sang an | 20 | | operatic aria for the 1994 Talent Show; he and his wife, Betty, | 21 | | entertained at retirement and nursing homes for ten years; he | 22 | | wrote over 100 poems, sang in the Men's Glee Club, spoke | 23 | | conversational Italian, and maintained an interest in the | 24 | | Italian Renaissance and 19th Century American poets; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Jim Benton was preceded in death by his brother, | 2 | | Thomas (Gayle) Benton and his sister, Cynthia (Ron) Rasmussen; | 3 | | and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Jim Benton is survived by his wife, Betty; his | 5 | | son, Bradley Cristopher Benton; his daughter, Lauren Marie | 6 | | Benton Schmanski; his grandsons, Christopher Colton Schmanski | 7 | | and Matthew John Schmanski; his brothers, Richard (Louise | 8 | | Ganong) Zbinden and John (Jenice) Benton; his sisters, Margery | 9 | | Aagaard and Suzanne (Duane) Kiddoo; and many nieces and | 10 | | nephews; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 12 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 13 | | James "Jim" Benton and extend our sincere condolences to his | 14 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 15 | | further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to the family of Jim Benton as an expression of our | 18 | | deepest sympathy.
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