Full Text of SR0668 101st General Assembly
SR0668 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 Richard Carol "R.C." Smith, who passed | 4 | | away on September 2, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was born to Earl Edward and Sylvia | 6 | | Dickson Smith on January 28, 1934 and lived most of his life as | 7 | | a sixth generation resident of Long Creek Township in Macon | 8 | | County; he graduated from Mt. Zion High School in 1952 and | 9 | | attended Hannibal-LaGrange College; he served in the U.S. Air | 10 | | Force during the Korean War and spent two years on Okinawa; he | 11 | | married Wanda Jones on June 13, 1964; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith worked for the Wabash, the Norfolk and | 13 | | Western, and the Norfolk Southern railroads, retiring after 39 | 14 | | years; he then served for over eight years as executive | 15 | | director of the Decatur-Area Labor Management Committee; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was elected as the assistant township | 17 | | supervisor for Long Creek Township in 1961 and then served as a | 18 | | member of the Macon County Board for 28 years; in 1971, he was | 19 | | elected as Mt. Zion Township Supervisor, the first Democrat to | 20 | | be elected township supervisor there in over 20 years; he was | 21 | | the chairman of the Macon County Board for one term from 1985 | 22 | | to 1986 and served five terms as vice chairman; he also served |
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| 1 | | a partial term as Long Creek Township Assessor in 1989; he was | 2 | | elected as Long Creek Township Clerk in 1997 and most recently | 3 | | served in that position; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith served as precinct committeeman for the | 5 | | Democratic Party for over 50 years, starting in 1961; he first | 6 | | started handing out his well-known pocket calendars with his | 7 | | first run for political office in 1961 and did so every year | 8 | | since; he was an active member of the Macon County Democratic | 9 | | Central Committee; he served as chairman of the Long Creek | 10 | | Township Democrats for over 30 years and was an active | 11 | | committeeman for Long Creek #8; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was a member of the Macon County #708 | 13 | | Mental Health Board for many years and the Macon County | 14 | | Mosquito Abatement District Board, where he served as | 15 | | president; he was a member of the board of directors of the | 16 | | Township Officials of Illinois from 2005 to 2012 and served as | 17 | | a director and officer for the Township Clerks of Illinois for | 18 | | several years; he was a trustee for the Long Creek Fire | 19 | | Protection District for several years and a member of the N&W | 20 | | Fellowship Club, where he served as president for five years; | 21 | | and | 22 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was a member of the Illinois Old Time | 23 | | Fiddlers Association for over 30 years and was honored to serve |
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| 1 | | as master of ceremonies for the Illinois State Fiddle Contest | 2 | | for five years; he was a member of the Jefferson-Jackson Club | 3 | | and TOPS Club 610; he was a member and past president of the | 4 | | Township Officials of Macon County; he was a retiree member of | 5 | | the Wabash Hospital Association Board for eight years and | 6 | | served as alternate member for six years; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was a member of the International Order | 8 | | of Odd Fellows Lodge #300 in Mt. Zion for over 50 years and | 9 | | Ionic Lodge #312, AF & AM for 57 years; he was extremely | 10 | | honored to be chosen as the grand marshal of the Decatur Labor | 11 | | Day Parade in 1997; he was a member of the Charles Parlier | 12 | | Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association DAV No. 17 | 13 | | Decatur; he was an active member and president of the Long | 14 | | Creek senior citizens organization and enjoyed helping set up | 15 | | programs for their lunches; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was a member and local leader of the | 17 | | National Association of Retired and Veteran Railway Employees; | 18 | | he served on the Decatur-Macon County Economic Development | 19 | | Corporation, The Decatur Advantage, Inc., and as a member of | 20 | | the board of directors for the Decatur-Macon County senior | 21 | | citizens organization; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was very proud and thankful to be named | 23 | | an official "Kentucky Colonel" of the Commonwealth of Kentucky |
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| 1 | | by Kentucky Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson in 1989; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was a member of Tabernacle Baptist | 3 | | Church, where he served as a deacon for over 40 years; he was | 4 | | named deacon emeritus in January of 2004; he served as an adult | 5 | | men's Sunday school teacher for over 45 years; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith was preceded in death by his parents | 7 | | and his son, Randy E. Smith; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, R.C. Smith is survived by his wife of 55 years, | 9 | | Wanda; his son, Bryan E. Smith; his daughter, Patty (Jerry) | 10 | | Rodgers; his grandchildren, Kayleigh Smith, Kelcie Smith, | 11 | | Brett Rodgers, and Nicole DeBolt; and three | 12 | | great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 14 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 15 | | Richard Carol "R.C." Smith and extend our sincere condolences | 16 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 17 | | it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the family of R.C. Smith as an expression of our | 20 | | deepest sympathy.
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