Full Text of SR1147 101st General Assembly
SR1147 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 Gordon "Gordy" L. Ropp of Normal, who | 4 | | passed away on April 14, 2020; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp was born in Normal to Clarence R. and | 6 | | Mabel (Mohr) Ropp on April 5, 1933; he was helping his father | 7 | | milk cows by the age of six and joined 4-H by the time he was | 8 | | 10, where he proudly displayed his prize-winning Jersey cow, | 9 | | Corianda; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp graduated from Normal Community High | 11 | | School as valedictorian of his class and from the University of | 12 | | Illinois in 1955; during college, he received his commission as | 13 | | a second lieutenant in the ROTC program and was a member of the | 14 | | Farm House Fraternity; he married Roberta Cutter in 1955, and | 15 | | they returned to the family farm, raising anywhere from 40 to | 16 | | 100 Jersey cattle at a time; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp was employed by the Funk Seed Company | 18 | | as a young man; he was selected as a delegate to the Illinois | 19 | | Agriculture Association Convention by the McLean County Farm | 20 | | Bureau in 1960 at the age of 27; around the same time, he was | 21 | | state director of the American Dairy Association of Illinois, | 22 | | secretary-treasurer of the Illinois Jersey Cattle Club |
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| 1 | | Association, and president of the Dairy Herd Improvement | 2 | | Association of McLean County; he served on the executive | 3 | | committee of the American Dairy Association and as captain in | 4 | | his local National Guard; he and Roberta were also selected by | 5 | | the Pure Milk Association as the Outstanding Young Dairy Farm | 6 | | Couple for District 2; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, In 1969, Gordon Ropp accepted the position as | 8 | | Assistant Director of Agriculture in Springfield; in 1970, he | 9 | | became the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture; | 10 | | during his time as director, he implemented many new programs | 11 | | and practices while continuing to promote Illinois agriculture | 12 | | across the globe; he was particular proud of the eradication of | 13 | | hog cholera, a highly contagious swine disease; he oversaw the | 14 | | implementation of the Centennial Farm Sign program, which | 15 | | continues today and recognizes Illinois farms which have been | 16 | | in a single family for 100 years; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp served as the Illinois State | 18 | | Representative for the 88th District from 1979 to 1993; he | 19 | | served on many committees, including Appropriations, Higher | 20 | | Education, Agriculture, Executive, and Public Utilities; after | 21 | | his time as a representative, he served as the Rural Affairs | 22 | | Liaison to the Secretary of State; and | 23 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp retired in 1999 but remained active in |
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| 1 | | the McLean County community; he worked as a Unit 5 substitute | 2 | | teacher and volunteered his time with a variety of | 3 | | organizations and clubs, including 4-H, the Shriners, the | 4 | | Masons, the Royal Order of the Jesters, the David Davis Mansion | 5 | | Foundation, the Normal Rotary, the Timeless Clovers McLean | 6 | | County 4-H Alumni, McLean County Barn Quilters, the Illinois | 7 | | Jersey Cattle Club, Extension Partners, the McLean County | 8 | | Seniors Golf League, and the Prune Juice Golf League; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp received numerous awards and | 10 | | recognitions during his life, including the Clarence Ropp 4-H | 11 | | Family Spirit Award in 2003, the 4-H Volunteer in 2005, and | 12 | | Illinoisan of the Day at the Illinois State Fair in 2010; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp was dedicated to 4-H for over 75 | 14 | | years; he was an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the | 15 | | Chicago Bears; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp was an energetic and devoted leader in | 17 | | Illinois agriculture with a warm personality and an | 18 | | approachable style; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp was preceded in death by his wife, | 20 | | Roberta; his parents; his son, David; and his infant sister, | 21 | | JoAnne; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Gordon Ropp is survived by his children, Diana and | 2 | | Darren Ropp; his grandchildren, Shana (Kevin Mulloy) Emberton, | 3 | | Jeff Emberton, Troy (Sarune) Emberton, Samantha (Josh) | 4 | | Fairbanks, Savannah Ropp, Sadie Ropp, Domonique Ropp, and | 5 | | Daniel Ropp; his great-grandchildren, Levi Emberton, Wyatt | 6 | | Emberton, Augustus Emberton, Avery Mulloy, and Emma Mulloy; and | 7 | | his brother, Ray (Carol) Ropp; therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 9 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 10 | | Gordon "Gordy" L. Ropp and extend our sincere condolences to | 11 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 12 | | further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 | | presented to the family of Gordon Ropp as an expression of our | 15 | | deepest sympathy.
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