Full Text of SR1523 98th General Assembly
SR1523 98TH 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 Dr. Kenneth Epperson of Macomb, who | 4 | | passed away on October 2, 2014; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson was born in Hume on October | 6 | | 1, 1924 to Homer Lee and Sylvia Elliott Epperson; he graduated | 7 | | from Newman High School in 1942 and received his Bachelors of | 8 | | Science in Education in 1946 and his Masters of Science in | 9 | | Education in 1952, both from Western Illinois University; | 10 | | during his undergraduate years, he earned varsity letters in | 11 | | football, basketball, and track; he was the State pole vault | 12 | | and high jump champion, and took second place in the long jump; | 13 | | he served as president of Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity and the | 14 | | Interfraternity Council and was chosen as Campus Personality | 15 | | and Homecoming King; in between completing his 2 degrees, he | 16 | | served in the United States Air Force from 1946 to 1947; he | 17 | | married Lorraine Barnhart on April 15, 1949 at the First | 18 | | Christian Church in Blandinsville; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson was an industrial arts | 20 | | teacher and coach at Greenfield High School from 1947 to 1948, | 21 | | an industrial arts teacher and basketball coach at Macomb High | 22 | | School from 1948 to 1952, principal at Blandinsville High | 23 | | School from 1952 to 1954, and superintendent of the |
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| 1 | | Northwestern School District (now West Prairie School | 2 | | District) for 5 years; from 1959 to 1961, he was with the | 3 | | Office of the Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction as | 4 | | assistant director in the Division of Special Education; he | 5 | | started his 22-year career with Western Illinois University | 6 | | (WIU) in 1961, first as an admissions counselor in charge of | 7 | | High School Relations; he was selected to head the Illinois | 8 | | Association of College Admissions Counselors in 1966; he also | 9 | | completed his doctorate in higher education administration at | 10 | | Indiana University in 1969; in the 1970s and early 1980s, he | 11 | | served as WIU's Director of University/Community College | 12 | | Relations and as president of the Illinois Community College | 13 | | Association; he retired from WIU in 1983; after his retirement, | 14 | | he joined his wife in real estate; they launched Century 21 | 15 | | Purdum-Epperson in 1990, and it became a leading agency in | 16 | | Western Illinois; during his business career, he received | 17 | | several production awards and was named Macomb Realtor of the | 18 | | Year; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson's community leadership was | 20 | | evident in many ways; he was president of the State | 21 | | Universities Retirement System at WIU and served as a Spoon | 22 | | River College trustee for 12 years; he was also the chairman of | 23 | | the McDonough County United Way for several years, on the | 24 | | Wesley Village Retirement Center Executive Board, and served on | 25 | | the Macomb Planning Commission; he was a 50-year member of both |
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| 1 | | the local Masonic Lodge and Macomb Kiwanis Club and held | 2 | | memberships in the Macomb Country Club, the American Legion, | 3 | | the First Presbyterian Church (where he was a trustee), and the | 4 | | McDonough District Hospital Golden Apple Society; he also | 5 | | served as chair of the board for the Blandinsville Christian | 6 | | Church and the First Christian Church in Macomb; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson was a follower of WIU | 8 | | athletics; he served as president of the WIU Leatherneck Club | 9 | | and was named to the WIU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995; he also | 10 | | served on the WIU Performing Arts Board and received the WIU | 11 | | Alumni Achievement Award in 1987; he and his wife gifted a | 12 | | large amount to WIU's fundraising campaign; they were awarded | 13 | | the Isaac and Ethel Leighty Community Award given by the | 14 | | McDonough County United Way; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson was a talented woodcarver and | 16 | | sculptor; he carved the first Western Illinois University seal | 17 | | in 1974 in celebration of WIU's 75th anniversary; he carved a | 18 | | number of smaller WIU seals as presentation gifts for retiring | 19 | | administrators and faculty members; he also designed and carved | 20 | | the Western Illinois University mace, which is carried and used | 21 | | at every commencement and at special academic events; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson enjoyed golfing, dancing, | 23 | | and playing bridge, and was also devoted to the Eppersons' |
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| 1 | | Sheltie dogs, Skipper I, II, and III; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Kenneth Epperson is survived by his wife, | 3 | | Lorraine; nephew, Paul (Christine) Epperson; sister-in-law, | 4 | | Roberta Epperson; and cousins, Sue Goetz, Steve Williams, and | 5 | | Bob Williams; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 7 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 8 | | Dr. Kenneth Epperson, and extend our sincere condolences to his | 9 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 10 | | further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of Dr. Kenneth Epperson as an | 13 | | expression of our deepest sympathy.
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