Full Text of SR0450 97th General Assembly
SR0450 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to honor | 3 | | the life of former Illinois State Senator Wendell E. Jones, | 4 | | formerly of Palatine, who passed away on October 25, 2011; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Wendell Jones was an exemplary lawmaker | 6 | | who was held in high regard for his 9 years of public service | 7 | | in the Illinois Senate; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, He was born on November 4, 1937 in Battle Creek, | 9 | | Michigan; he attended Ball State University, where he received | 10 | | his B.S. in Speech and Hearing Therapy and an M.S. in Special | 11 | | Education; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, He started his 24-year educational career as a | 13 | | speech therapist for District 15 in Palatine and later became | 14 | | the director of Special Education; in addition, he later served | 15 | | as an Assistant Superintendent in Cook County; he later became | 16 | | the Director of the DuPage/West Cook Regional Special Education | 17 | | Association; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, He was also successful in business, serving as a | 19 | | salesman for Clayton Metals, Co. and forming Wenco, a | 20 | | promotional products company; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, He served as the Palatine Village President and as | 2 | | a Trustee, for one term in each office; he was a delegate to | 3 | | the 1980 Republican National Convention; and he served as a | 4 | | Republican precinct captain for 40 years; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones sponsored laws to protect children | 6 | | from sex offenders, to reopen the "world-class" Arlington | 7 | | International Race Course, and to support charter school | 8 | | reform; he helped to pass the Illinois Safe Neighborhoods Act; | 9 | | and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, He was a strong advocate for funding special | 11 | | education and mental health programs; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones served with distinction on the | 13 | | Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence and fought for | 14 | | domestic violence shelters like the Women In Need Growing | 15 | | Stronger (WINGS) in his district; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones supported legislation to protect | 17 | | the environment and helped to develop the Wilke Marsh with the | 18 | | Palatine Park District; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones was a member of the Senate | 20 | | Committees on Appropriations, Local Government, Revenue, and | 21 | | Property Tax Reform; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones served as the Vice Chairman for the | 2 | | Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and as the Minority | 3 | | Spokesman for the Housing and Community Affairs Committee; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones led a distinguished group of | 5 | | lawmakers with the informal Capitol Committee on Currency | 6 | | Exchanges; and | 7 | | | 8 | | WHEREAS, He always kept Illinois Senate committees in | 9 | | stitches with his humor; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones was never at a loss for words or a | 11 | | good one-liner when it came to debating the Illinois budget; he | 12 | | admired the man who once said, "The 9 most terrifying words in | 13 | | the English language are: "I'm from the government, and I'm | 14 | | here to help"; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jones and his wife reluctantly found the | 16 | | climate of Florida to be more hospitable and chose to retire in | 17 | | the warmth of the Sunshine State; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his sister-in-law, Dr. | 19 | | Doris Allen; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Senator Wendell Jones is survived by his loving |
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| 1 | | wife of 51 years, Jane Ellen (Condon); his beloved children, | 2 | | Timothy W. Jones, Julie A. (Thomas) Healy, and Janell L. | 3 | | Chandler; he took great pride in spoiling his 4 cherished | 4 | | grandchildren, Ryan, Micaela, McKayla, and Taylor; he is also | 5 | | survived by his brothers-in-law, James (Patricia) Condon and | 6 | | Warren (Carol) Condon; and 5 nieces; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, The passing of Senator Wendell Jones will be | 8 | | deeply felt by his fellow legislators, admirers, and | 9 | | constituents, who will fondly remember him for his | 10 | | intelligence, compassion, wit, and graciousness; therefore, be | 11 | | it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 14 | | his family, friends, former constituents, and admirers, the | 15 | | passing of former State Senator Wendell Jones; and be it | 16 | | further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of former State Senator Wendell Jones | 19 | | as an expression of our respect and as a symbol of our sincere | 20 | | sympathy.
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