Full Text of SR0278 97th General Assembly
SR0278 97TH 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
Robert J. Cunningham Sr. of Danville; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Robert Cunningham Sr. was born on March 18, 1934, | 5 | | in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; his parents were Glenn and Marie | 6 | | (Thill) Cunningham; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Robert Cunningham Sr. attended Hooton School, | 8 | | which he lovingly called Hooton Tech, and Danville High School, | 9 | | where he graduated in 1952; from 1953 to 1956, he proudly | 10 | | served in the United States Army with the 14th Armored Cavalry | 11 | | and spent two years in Germany; he was subsequently appointed | 12 | | to attend the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy in Munich, | 13 | | Germany, and was appointed an instructor in field operations | 14 | | upon returning to his base; he then turned down attending | 15 | | Commissioned Officers Academy in the United States and retired | 16 | | as a staff sergeant; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, In 1957, Robert Cunningham Sr. joined the | 18 | | International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Union; as a welder, | 19 | | he traveled to many parts of the United States with his | 20 | | brother-in-law and best friend, Kenny Laws, as his welding | 21 | | partner; in 1975, he was elected to serve as the business | 22 | | manager/secretary treasurer of Local 60; while in his second |
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| 1 | | term in this position, he was asked to join the international | 2 | | staff in the newly-created construction division as an | 3 | | international representative; for five years prior to his | 4 | | retirement, he also served as assistant to the international | 5 | | president; he served on the international staff until January | 6 | | of 1993; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Wishing to retire at the age of 60, Robert | 8 | | Cunningham Sr. returned to the field for one final year Bobby | 9 | | Jr. and Mark, who had both graduated from the Boilermakers | 10 | | Apprenticeship program; on the last day of March 1993, he said | 11 | | goodbye to his fellow workers and hung up his welding hat and | 12 | | lunch box; having turned 60 that month, he realized his dream; | 13 | | and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Robert Cunningham Sr. was involved with numerous | 15 | | community organizations; he was very proud of the Hooton | 16 | | community and helped with the placing of the marker stone where | 17 | | the Hooton School had been and the signs and flower gardens at | 18 | | 14th Street and Ross Lane; he served as a Democratic precinct | 19 | | committeeman for several years and was always eager to help | 20 | | anyone in his community; he was involved in the creation of the | 21 | | Vermilion County Nursing Home Foundation and served on the | 22 | | foundation board for several years; he accompanied the youth | 23 | | from Central Christian Church on their youth mission trips on | 24 | | several occasions and formed lasting relationships with the |
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| 1 | | young people; he also enjoyed fundraising for political | 2 | | candidates; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Robert Cunningham Sr. enjoyed working on his | 4 | | classic cars, fishing with his grandchildren, attending his | 5 | | grandchildren's school and sports events, going on trips and | 6 | | cruises with his wife, hunting mushrooms, and tending his | 7 | | flower gardens; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Robert Cunningham Sr. was preceded in death by his | 9 | | parents; his first wife, Barbara (Taylor) Cunningham; his | 10 | | brother-in-law, Kenny Laws; and his grandson, Tommy Smith; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Robert Cunningham Sr. is survived by his wife, | 12 | | Carol; his sons, Mark and Robert Jr.; his daughter, Susie | 13 | | Gaudio; his stepson, Doug (Charlotte Bailey) Hanson; his | 14 | | grandchildren, Cassie (Johnny) Thomas, Kasey (Eric) Antonini, | 15 | | Robert Cunningham III, Nick Gaudio, and Markie Cunningham; his | 16 | | sister, Shirley Laws; his sister-in-law, Anita (Ron) Jenkins; | 17 | | his great-grandchildren, Kindall, Jesse, Taren, and Kenny; his | 18 | | several cousins; his nieces and nephews; his aunt, Doris Thill; | 19 | | and his wonderful friends and his church family at Central | 20 | | Christian Church; therefore, be it
| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 22 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with |
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| 1 | | his family and friends, the passing of Robert J. Cunningham | 2 | | Sr.; and be it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 4 | | presented to the family of Robert Cunningham Sr. as an | 5 | | expression of our sympathy.
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