Full Text of HR0649 97th General Assembly
HR0649 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former | 4 | | Mt. Vernon Mayor Rolland Lewis, who passed away on November 5, | 5 | | 2011; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, He was born to Chester and Lillian (Fair) Lewis in | 7 | | Chicago on October 13, 1930; he was an active member and lay | 8 | | reader of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Mt. Vernon; he | 9 | | attended Caldwell Grade School and graduated from Bowen High | 10 | | School, after which he attended the first 2 years at the | 11 | | University of Illinois Chicago Annex; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, On June 25, 1952, he married Sally Watts; he | 13 | | proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps | 14 | | during the Korean War as a Gunnery Sergeant; he spent 5 months | 15 | | in combat with the 1st Marine Division before being wounded and | 16 | | spending several months recovering in a hospital in Japan; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, In 1959, he moved to Mt. Vernon with his wife, | 18 | | Sally, and became active in the community; he was a real estate | 19 | | manager, ran Lewis and Farley Construction Co., started and ran | 20 | | House de Lions, Ltd., and participated, with his long-time | 21 | | friend, David Flota, in the upstart of a new company called Mr. | 22 | | Ice; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, He was instrumental in bringing the YMCA to Mt. | 2 | | Vernon and served as its president; he later served as vice | 3 | | president of the Southern Illinois YMCA, becoming a drive | 4 | | chairman for the United Fund in Jefferson County, and was | 5 | | active in the VFW, AMVETS, and American Legion; he was elected | 6 | | as Mayor of Mt. Vernon as well as precinct committeeman in the | 7 | | Shiloh 4 precinct; his tenure as Mayor of Mt. Vernon lasted | 8 | | from 1969 to 1977 and again from 1985 to 1997; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, He served as past president of the Illinois | 10 | | Municipal League, helped form the Southern Illinois Mayors | 11 | | Association (SIMA), serving as president 3 times; he served on | 12 | | the Illinois Economic Board, the Illinois Commission on the | 13 | | Future of Public Service, and the Environmental Financial | 14 | | Advisory Board for the United States EPA in Washington, D.C.; | 15 | | he served on the Governor's Advisory Board under the Ogilvie | 16 | | administration and the Illinois Law Enforcement Administration | 17 | | as an appointee of Governor Thompson; he was also appointed by | 18 | | Governor Edgar and Governor Ryan and confirmed by the Senate as | 19 | | Chairman of the Board of Review for the Department of | 20 | | Employment Security for 14 years; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents and his | 22 | | son, Jeffrey George Lewis Sr.; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Rolland Lewis is survived by his wife of more than | 2 | | 59 years, Sally Lewis; his sons, John Lewis and wife, Pam, | 3 | | Brian Lewis and wife, Kathy, and Robert Lewis; his | 4 | | daughter-in-law, Minda Lewis; his 16 grandchildren: and his 8 | 5 | | great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 8 | | we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of | 9 | | Rolland Lewis; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to the family of Rolland Lewis as a symbol of our | 12 | | sincere sympathy.
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