SR0744 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0744 LRB102 23943 MST 33144 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of George Finley Veenstra of Springfield, who passed away on November 11, 2021; and

WHEREAS, George Veenstra was born in Chicago to William and Ruth (McNaughton) Veenstra on January 13, 1944; he contracted polio at age 5 and relied on leg braces to walk for the rest of his life; he graduated from Morgan Park High School in 1961 and earned a teaching degree from the University of Illinois in 1966; and

WHEREAS, George Veenstra worked in the Springfield School District for more than 30 years, teaching mathematics and later computer classes, mostly at Washington Middle School, before retiring in 2000; he was an enthusiastic teacher who drew parents' praise for helping students who usually struggled with math; and

WHEREAS, George Veenstra became an ardent fan of the Fighting Illini and discovered his own athletic abilities while in college; from 1962 to 1971, he played intramural wheelchair football at Illinois and was quarterback for the Gold Team, leading the team to five championships; in 1964, he was a member of the United States Paralympic team in archery and table tennis at Tokyo; during this same time, he participated in swimming, archery (Silver Medal) and table tennis (Bronze Medal) at the National Wheelchair Games; in 1980, he won Gold Medals in the 50-meter butterfly and 400 freestyle swimming events and Silver Medals in the 100 free and 200 individual medleys at the National Wheelchair games; and

WHEREAS, George Veenstra played point guard for the Champaign Urbana Black Knights wheelchair basketball team from 1967 to 1971; he was named the National Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1970; he helped form the Springfield Spoke Jockeys, coaching and playing for that team until 1989; he was a member of eight All-Midwest Conference teams, four all-sectional teams, and two all-national tournament teams; he was an assistant coach for three USA international wheelchair basketball teams that won Gold Medals at international competitions; he was inducted into the Wheelchair Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame in 2003; and

WHEREAS, George Veenstra threw his competitive spirit into playing with the Bridge Club of Springfield after retirement; he achieved the status of Silver Life Master; he also happily helped at Harvest & Blooms, the Rochester farm owned by his son, Garrick, and daughter-in-law, Violeta; and

WHEREAS, George Veenstra is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Jeanne Titone Veenstra; his sons, Garrick, Matt, and Phil; his brothers, Bob and Ron; and his grandchildren, Sol, Sebi, Liam, Riley, Maddie, Ella, Finley, and Cecilia; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of George Finley Veenstra and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of George Veenstra as an expression of our deepest sympathy.