SR0455 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0455 LRB103 34098 ECR 63916 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Jesse R. Smart, the former Mayor of Bloomington, who passed away on August 25, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was born to Kenneth and Bertha Smart in Pearl on April 29, 1939; he graduated with a bachelor's degree in agriculture education from the University of Illinois; he married Susan Ann Stover in Centralia on July 16, 1961; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart taught vocational agriculture and biology at Stanford High School in Stanford; he worked at Funk Bros. Seed Co. and Ciba-Geigy Co. in Bloomington; he was president and owner of Smart Seeds Inc. in Bloomington; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart served on the Bloomington City Council from 1978 to 1985; he then served as Mayor of the City of Bloomington from 1985 to 1997; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart served on many various commissions and boards, including the Illinois State Board of Elections from 2001 to 2015, during which he served as chairman and vice chairman for eight years; he also served as executive director and treasurer of the Western Seed Association for many years and was chairman of the Farm Seed Division, American Seed Trade Association; he formerly served as president of the Illinois Seed Dealers Association, president of the Prairie Aviation Air Show, captain of the Shrine Tin Lizzie Patrol, president of the Young Men's Club, and treasurer of the Mosbacher 4-H Scholarship Fund; he was a past member of College Park Christian Church in Normal; he volunteered for the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts and was a past member of the Cultural Commission; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was named McLean County Agriculture Businessman of the Year in 1989 and a 2017 History Maker Honoree by the McLean County Museum of History; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was a loving husband and father who never met a stranger; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart was preceded in death by his wife and his infant son, Jeffrey; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Smart is survived by his children, Deborah (Matthew) Barton and Gregory (Michelle) Smart; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Jesse R. Smart, the former Mayor of Bloomington, 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 Jesse Smart as an expression of our deepest sympathy.