Full Text of HR0350 102nd General Assembly
HR0350 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Everett Atkinson | 4 | | on the occasion of his 99th birthday on June 5, 2021; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson was born in the home of his | 6 | | parents, Emery Pearl and Hallie Winnifred Moore Atkinson, who | 7 | | lived on then-muddy Harmony Road; he was the eldest of four | 8 | | boys; he graduated from Barren's one-room county school when | 9 | | he was 12 years old and in the eighth grade; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson attended Mt. Vernon Township | 11 | | High School for his freshman year until his mother became ill | 12 | | with pneumonia; the doctor was unable to reach her due to the | 13 | | mud-laden roads, and she passed away at age 33; he dropped out | 14 | | of school to assist his father on the dairy farm with chores | 15 | | and with raising his three younger siblings; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, On the day Everett Atkinson overheard the radio | 17 | | announcement of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he told his | 18 | | father he wanted to enlist in the Army; he then hitch-hiked to | 19 | | Scott Air Force Base on a sunny Sunday in May 1942 and | 20 | | officially enlisted in the U.S. Army in the Metropolitan | 21 | | Building in East St. Louis; given the choice of artillery, | 22 | | infantry, cavalry, or air corps, he chose the latter; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, By July 21, 1942, Everett Atkinson was appointed | 2 | | Student Squadron Sargent Major and officially became an | 3 | | Aviation Cadet on November 2, 1942; he then took additional | 4 | | training as an electrical specialist and applied for Cadet; he | 5 | | had to pass Aviation Entrance Exams, along with 25 other | 6 | | servicemen; he was concerned because he had only completed | 7 | | ninth grade, but he was pleasantly surprised to find out that | 8 | | he was one of five or six who had passed the exam; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson's desire to learn and excel in | 10 | | every facet of aviation led to higher learning and experiences | 11 | | with pilots, navigators, bombardiers, ground prep school, and | 12 | | advanced single-engine classes at numerous bases across the | 13 | | United States; he ultimately became a Commissioned 2nd | 14 | | Lieutenant on August 30, 1943 and became a Flight Instructor | 15 | | in the Army Air Forces; during that time, he was elected to the | 16 | | Honor Committee and graduated in the top 10 percent of his | 17 | | class; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, While on a 10-day leave, Everett Atkinson met and | 19 | | fell in love with Doris Louise McCauley; they said their vows | 20 | | on December 3, 1943 and enjoyed many years of matrimony until | 21 | | she passed on April 24, 2009; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson was honorably discharged on |
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| 1 | | February 15, 1946 as a First Lieutenant and returned to Mt. | 2 | | Vernon, where he and Doris raised their family of three | 3 | | children, Ruth Ann Clark-Wheeler, Rebecca Louise Hill, and | 4 | | Dennis Dale Atkinson; the family now includes seven | 5 | | grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson provided for his family by | 7 | | working for his father's dairy farm, which had been owned by | 8 | | his wife's family until 1949; he purchased the farm in 1965; | 9 | | and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson had recently served with Mentors | 11 | | 4 Kids and is currently volunteering in Hospice for Veterans; | 12 | | and | 13 | | WHEREAS, In October 2018, Everett Atkinson visited | 14 | | Washington, D.C. as part of the Veterans Honor Flight; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Everett Atkinson's view of life and tragedies | 16 | | faced by all is "hang in there, there is a light at the end of | 17 | | the tunnel and the sun comes up every morning in the East. | 18 | | There are still many chances to love and enjoy life."; | 19 | | therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 21 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| 1 | | we congratulate Everett Atkinson on the occasion of his 99th | 2 | | birthday, and we thank him for his years of service; and be it | 3 | | further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 5 | | presented to Evertt Atkinson as an expression of our respect | 6 | | and esteem.
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