Full Text of HR1516 95th General Assembly
HR1516 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to honor Phyllis Wilken on her 95th | 4 |
| birthday; and
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| WHEREAS, Phyllis Wilken was born September 8, 1913 to | 6 |
| Fredrick and Ida Schmitz Lauerman of Alexandria, Minnesota; on | 7 |
| July 23, 1936 she married Eibe Switters Wilken;
Phyllis Wilken | 8 |
| received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics from | 9 |
| the University of Wisconsin; she was a charter member of Phi | 10 |
| Upsilon Omicron, Tau Chapter, National Honorary Home Economics | 11 |
| Fraternity, and in 1933 was a charter member of Gamma Sigma | 12 |
| Chapter of Alpha Phi Sorority; and
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| WHEREAS, Her teaching career began in Neenah, Wisconsin and | 14 |
| later continued in the Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee | 15 |
| Vocational Schools; after moving to Illinois she taught at | 16 |
| Crescent Iroquois High School and then in the Kankakee School | 17 |
| District at East Ridge Junior High School, East Ridge High | 18 |
| School, and developed the Westview High School Home Economics | 19 |
| Department; she organized and taught the first adult vocational | 20 |
| education classes in foods and clothing; she supervised student | 21 |
| teachers and in her last five years served as the Work Study | 22 |
| Coordinator for Foods and Health Services; while as advisor for | 23 |
| the Future Homemakers of America, both in Crescent City and |
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| Kankakee, her clubs received first place in the State for three | 2 |
| years and received numerous club awards; she was honored at | 3 |
| FHA's national convention in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where | 4 |
| she also provided one of her award winning students as the | 5 |
| key-note speaker; after over 21 years of service she retired in | 6 |
| 1976; and
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| WHEREAS, The family's early years included travels and | 8 |
| brief moves to California, Colorado and Arizona; before moving | 9 |
| to Kankakee in 1956 she lived 17 years in Iroquois County on | 10 |
| farms at Woodworth and Crescent City; she served on boards of | 11 |
| the Milford Women's Club, Iroquois County Home Extension, and | 12 |
| was
past president of the Ash Grove Unit and a 4-H leader; she | 13 |
| taught Sunday school for 13 years at the Watseka United | 14 |
| Methodist Church; she taught for 2 1/2 years at Crescent City | 15 |
| High School; she is remembered for her outstanding programs, | 16 |
| festivals, and proms; and she served as a judge for many events | 17 |
| in her lifetime, both in Iroquois and Kankakee counties; and
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| WHEREAS, She was an active member of the Illinois | 19 |
| Federation of Women's Clubs for 40 years; she served on the | 20 |
| General Federation of Woman's Club of Kankakee Board and the | 21 |
| District 8 Woman's Club Board for over 20 years; she promoted | 22 |
| State and local projects and held numerous chairmanships; as | 23 |
| Public Affairs Chairman she conducted a countywide national | 24 |
| anti-shoplifting survey and organized four countywide Crime |
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| Reduction Forums; she chaired the first area Neighborhood Watch | 2 |
| programs, introducing McGruff the Crime Dog; she developed an | 3 |
| Anti-Crime Reduction Coalition (later known as Crime Stoppers) | 4 |
| enlisting help from the Exchange Club; she gave numerous | 5 |
| programs and conducted contests in area schools on crime | 6 |
| prevention; the Kankakee Women's Club received a national award | 7 |
| presented by Jim Edgar, then Attorney General, given at the | 8 |
| Cedar Rapids Iowa National Women's Club convention because of | 9 |
| her work; she was also instrumental in developing the first | 10 |
| Domestic Violence Shelter (now Harbor House) and gaining
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| support for this cause; and
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| WHEREAS, Phyllis has had numerous recognition extended to | 13 |
| her: the Congressional Medal of Merit Award in 1982 by | 14 |
| Congressman George O'Brien (17th District) for outstanding | 15 |
| community service; nominated for the Kankakee Volunteer of the | 16 |
| Year award; and named Volunteer of the Year in the Arts | 17 |
| Division by the Junior League Recognition Program in 1990; she | 18 |
| received the Illinois Law Enforcement Officer's Merit Award for | 19 |
| Crime Reduction programs; as a result of this recognition the | 20 |
| Illinois Law
Enforcement convention was held for the first time | 21 |
| in Kankakee; in addition, she was honored by the Morris Chamber | 22 |
| of Commerce and Grundy County Women's Club for contributions | 23 |
| made in crime reduction; and
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| WHEREAS, She was responsible for the development of the |
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| Very Special Arts Festivals for persons with disabilities; she | 2 |
| enlisted in cooperation with the Kankakee park District and | 3 |
| over 20 organizations provided assistance; she organized three | 4 |
| festivals and later organized the Kankakee County Very Special | 5 |
| Arts Alliance involving various community groups; a national | 6 |
| recognition award was received by the General Federation of | 7 |
| Women's Clubs of Kankakee for her efforts;
and
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| WHEREAS, She is credited and honored by Olivet Nazarene | 9 |
| University for bringing the only 1986 bicentennial celebration | 10 |
| to Kankakee County; the Historic American Legacy Art exhibit by | 11 |
| artist Kay Smith was held on the campus of Olivet Nazarene | 12 |
| University; this exhibit was attended by over 8,000 | 13 |
| individuals; later, she worked to get the State of Illinois to | 14 |
| commission a collection of Illinois historic paintings by Kay | 15 |
| Smith; Governor Jim Thompson held a State reception to honor | 16 |
| both the artist and Phyllis Wilken; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, Her many involvements include charter membership | 18 |
| and past president of the Kankakee County Home Economics | 19 |
| Association; past president of the Tuesday Book Review; past | 20 |
| president of the Kankakee Retired Teachers Association; past | 21 |
| chairperson of the Asbury Methodist Church Downy Circle, and | 22 |
| past president of the Sigma Kappa Sorority Mother's Club, | 23 |
| University of Illinois;
Board Affiliations have included the | 24 |
| American Association of University Women, Kankakee District |
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| 111 Vocational Advisory Board, Very Special Arts Alliance, | 2 |
| Kankakee Farm Bureau Women's Committee, and Charter member of | 3 |
| the Kankakee Valley Garden Club, Community Arts Council, Church | 4 |
| Women United, Asbury United Methodist Church Board, and Asbury | 5 |
| United Methodist Women Board; and
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| WHEREAS, Other memberships include the Domestic Violence | 7 |
| Coalition, Kankakee Historical Society, OPTIONS, Farm Bureau, | 8 |
| Farmland Trust Association, and Illinois Retired teachers | 9 |
| Association; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1991 she received a recognition award from | 11 |
| Secretary of State George Ryan for her community contributions; | 12 |
| in 1993 Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan presented | 13 |
| her with a resolution for community service and contributions | 14 |
| to the State of Illinois for 20 years of service; a tree was | 15 |
| planted in the civic center park recognizing her years of | 16 |
| community service to the Women's Club of Kankakee; and
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| WHEREAS, Other recognition include awards from the | 18 |
| Domestic Violence Coalition, and honored guest at two | 19 |
| governor's receptions for work in the arts; in 1999 she was | 20 |
| responsible for the planting of a red maple tree and program on | 21 |
| the Courthouse lawn celebrating the 100th year of the Kankakee | 22 |
| Women's Club; and
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| WHEREAS, She has traveled extensively throughout the | 2 |
| United States, Europe, China, Korea, Indonesia, and the Far | 3 |
| East; she was one of the first five tour groups to visit remote | 4 |
| Sebu, Borneo; and she has hosted many persons from Germany, | 5 |
| Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam in her home; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 8 |
| congratulate this remarkable woman, Phyllis Wilken, on the | 9 |
| occasion of her 95th birthday and wish her the best on this | 10 |
| great day; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 |
| presented to Phyllis Wilken as a symbolic part of this | 13 |
| celebration.
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