Full Text of HR0472 101st General Assembly
HR0472 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Julius W. | 4 | | Hegeler II of Danville, who passed away on July 5, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II was born in Danville to Madelle | 6 | | and Edward C. Hegeler II on May 9, 1928; he had two siblings, | 7 | | Edward and Madelle; he graduated from Danville High School in | 8 | | 1946; after attending the University of Illinois and serving in | 9 | | the Army National Guard for three years, he earned a business | 10 | | degree from Millikin University in 1950; he then enlisted in | 11 | | the United States Air Force, where he was a decorated fighter | 12 | | pilot and flew 70 missions in the Korean War as a first | 13 | | lieutenant; he married Bobette Steely in 1956, and she preceded | 14 | | him in death; they had three children, Alix, Harlin, and | 15 | | Madelle; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II returned to Danville in 1955 | 17 | | and, along with his brother Edward and partners Harry and | 18 | | Robert Peterson, built what would become Peterson-Puritan | 19 | | Inc., a chemical packaging company and one of Vermilion | 20 | | County's largest employers; the company was sold to Corn | 21 | | Products Co. in 1966, but he remained a vice president until | 22 | | his retirement in 1978; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II was the second person to serve | 2 | | as president of the Vermilion County Museum Board, a position | 3 | | he held from July 1967 until June 1970; during his time as | 4 | | president, he focused on developing youth programs and, along | 5 | | with others, agreed that the museum should be free to children | 6 | | to help develop their interest in history; he was president | 7 | | when the museum developed its accession policy; according to | 8 | | museum Director Sue Richter, "he helped put the museum on a | 9 | | solid footing"; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In 1992, Julius Hegeler II placed 90 percent of | 11 | | his fortune into the Julius W. Hegeler II Foundation, in part | 12 | | to restore the stately mansion where he grew up and turn it | 13 | | into a museum; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II was the first donor to the | 15 | | Danville Public School Foundation; his initial gift of $1 | 16 | | million in 2013 prompted the creation of the Public School | 17 | | Foundation's Julius W. Hegeler II Legacy Circle; in 2016, he | 18 | | bequeathed $1 million to benefit generations of Danville | 19 | | schoolchildren for years to come; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II donated $5 million in planned | 21 | | gifts to Danville Area Community College; in 2011, his | 22 | | foundation funded a new, state-of-the-art greenhouse; in 2013, | 23 | | he arranged for a planned gift of $3 million to build the |
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| 1 | | 10,000-square-foot Julius W. Hegeler II Advanced Technology | 2 | | Center, which was dedicated in 2014; in addition, he pledged to | 3 | | donate $100,000 each year to fund the interest payment on the | 4 | | $3 million bond issuance for the project; in 2016, the | 5 | | college's ornamental horticulture building was renamed for him | 6 | | after his foundation funded a renovation of the building's | 7 | | interior and design labs, as well as the grounds; in 2017, | 8 | | after the college acquired the old Carnegie Library from the | 9 | | Veterans Affairs, he bequeathed $2 million for future | 10 | | renovations; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, In 2016, Julius Hegeler II gave a $3 million | 12 | | planned gift to WorkSource Enterprises, which provides | 13 | | services for those with disabilities, for a new vocational | 14 | | center; in 2017, he bequeathed $3 million to the David S. | 15 | | Palmer Arena for new ice machinery and other improvements, | 16 | | including a new ice center entrance; he bequeathed $3 million | 17 | | to Presence United Samaritans Medical Center to rename the | 18 | | cancer center after his wife, Bobette Steely Hegeler; he also | 19 | | funded improvements to the restrooms and the 60-year-old | 20 | | gymnasium at the Laura Lee Fellowship House, as well as the | 21 | | installation of a new scoreboard at Danville Stadium; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II was the title sponsor of | 23 | | Balloons Over Vermilion, now in its fourth year; recently, he | 24 | | provided funds to renovate the Fithian home and the Lamon |
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| 1 | | House, along with the Fischer Theater in downtown Danville; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Julius Hegeler II made it his mission to help his | 3 | | hometown, and his philanthropy was limitless; his generosity | 4 | | also benefited the Danville AMBUCS, the Vermilion County | 5 | | Conservation District, the Danville Family YMCA, Big Brothers | 6 | | Big Sisters of Danville, the Danville Area Community College | 7 | | Foundation, WorkSource Enterprises, the Danville Public | 8 | | Library Foundation, the United Way of Danville Area, the Laura | 9 | | Lee Fellowship House, the Vermilion County War Museum, and the | 10 | | Vermilion County Airport Authority; therefore, be it
| 11 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 12 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 13 | | we mourn the passing of Julius W. Hegeler II and extend our | 14 | | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | 15 | | and loved him; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to the family of Julius Hegeler II as an expression | 18 | | of our deepest sympathy.
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