Full Text of SR0353 96th General Assembly
SR0353 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of
Kenneth Gill of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, | 4 |
| who passed away on June 1, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Kenneth Gill was born in O'Fallon; he served his | 6 |
| country with pride and distinction as a member of the United | 7 |
| States Navy during World War II and the Korean War; and
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| WHEREAS, Kenneth Gill received his bachelor's degree from | 9 |
| Illinois College, his master's degree from the University of | 10 |
| Illinois, and his doctorate in education from Northern Illinois | 11 |
| University; and
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| WHEREAS, Kenneth Gill had a long and distinguished career | 13 |
| in education at Wheeling Township Elementary District 21; he | 14 |
| began his career in District 21 in 1959, when the district had | 15 |
| only 3 schools and 1,100 students; at the time of Mr. Gill's | 16 |
| retirement in 1980, there were 17 schools and 6,600 students in | 17 |
| the district; and | 18 |
| WHEREAS, During his tenure in District 21, Kenneth Gill was | 19 |
| instrumental in the growth and prosperity of the school | 20 |
| district; influenced by his blind mother, he was instrumental | 21 |
| in starting a Braille program for blind students in the |
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| district; he helped start a special education program and a | 2 |
| before and after-school day care program; his biggest | 3 |
| challenge, however, was in 1968, when he took on busloads of | 4 |
| John Birch Society supporters and many in his own community | 5 |
| when he defended teaching sex education in the district; | 6 |
| despite threats from his opponents to take the issue to the | 7 |
| U.S. Supreme Court, he stood firm and kept the program; and
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| WHEREAS, In November of 1980, the District 21 school board | 9 |
| named the district's administration center "The Kenneth F. Gill | 10 |
| Administration Building" in honor of Kenneth Gill's many years | 11 |
| of dedicated service; and
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| WHEREAS, Kenneth Gill is survived by his wife, Margaret; | 13 |
| his daughter, Diane Sawyer; his son, Michael; and his 4 | 14 |
| grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 16 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 17 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Kenneth Gill; and be it | 18 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 |
| presented to the family of Kenneth Gill as an expression of our | 21 |
| sympathy.
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