Full Text of SR0352 101st General Assembly
SR0352 101ST 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 John Edward Severns of Champaign, who | 4 | | passed away on April 3, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, John Severns was born in Chicago to Clifford and | 6 | | Maude (Thompson) Severns on October 21, 1926; he graduated from | 7 | | Hyde Park High School in 1944; he enlisted in the United States | 8 | | Army and was assigned to calculate weapons trajectories for the | 9 | | 189th Field Artillery Battalion; he later attended the | 10 | | University of Illinois and earned his undergraduate and | 11 | | master's degrees in architecture; he married Joan Zagar in | 12 | | 1952; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, In 1953, John Severns was awarded the Illinois | 14 | | School of Architecture's Francis J. Plym Traveling Fellowship; | 15 | | he and Joan spent nine months driving all over Europe, studying | 16 | | architecture and having adventures; in 1958, he became a | 17 | | partner in a Champaign architectural firm that specialized in | 18 | | educational buildings; he leaves a legacy at the University of | 19 | | Illinois as an early campus planner; his firm was responsible | 20 | | for the design of most of the early residence halls, as well as | 21 | | the original Newmark Civil Engineering Building, the | 22 | | Underground Library, Hydrosystems, the original Digital | 23 | | Computer Lab, the original Micro-Nano Technology Center, |
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| 1 | | Morrill Hall, and over 400 other projects on campus; he was a | 2 | | mentor to all who worked with and under him; he retired from | 3 | | Severns, Reid and Associates in 2001; for many years | 4 | | afterwards, he continued providing pro-bono architecture work | 5 | | for those in need; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, John Severns loved the mountains, hiking, | 7 | | camping, sailing, and cross-country skiing; he also enjoyed | 8 | | reading, playing with words, the Sunday ads, and bargain | 9 | | shopping; he was a handyman, who enjoyed tinkering in the | 10 | | garage and crating solutions to household problems; he was a | 11 | | supportive husband and a loving father who provided thoughtful | 12 | | guidance; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, John Severns was preceded in death by his wife, | 14 | | Joan, and his son, Jonathan Severns; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, John Severns is survived by his sister, Beverly | 16 | | Giegler; his daughters, Karen (Koichi Mori) Severns and | 17 | | Christine (Terry) Severns-Williams; and his grandchildren, | 18 | | Brittany, Sarah, and Tearra Williams and Alexander | 19 | | Severns-Williams; therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 22 | | John Edward Severns and extend our sincere condolences to his |
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| 1 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 2 | | further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 4 | | presented to the family of John Severns as an expression of our | 5 | | deepest sympathy.
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