SR0195 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0195 LRB095 12221 GRL 36580 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Starkey Duncan Jr., who passed away on May 15, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. spent his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee and San Antonio, Texas; he received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Vanderbilt University; he served two years as a line officer in the US Navy; upon returning from the Navy he enrolled in the clinical psychology program at the University of Chicago for his doctorate; he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1967; and

WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was a psychology professor at the University of Chicago; he oversaw the psychology department's undergraduate program since 1977; he was known throughout the university as a mentor for undergraduates and as an advocate for student athletes; he served as the University of Chicago faculty representative to the NCAA for more than 25 years; and he helped organize the university's annual folk music festival; and

WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was a pioneer in the study of human interaction; he was a leader in the field of nonverbal communication and was one of the first researchers to go beyond speech and analyze the gestures, gazes, pauses, and smiles that define face-to-face interactions; he studied the interplay between verbal and nonverbal communication and developed a rigorous methodology to study them, including a technique to diagram and map face-to-face interaction; his research led him to co-author the book "Face to Face Interactions: Research, Methods and Theory", considered a seminal work in the study of human interaction; he recently expanded his work to include interactions between parents and children and physicians and patients, as well as sequential behavior patterns of children in an effort to understand disorders such as autism; and

WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was an enthusiastic sports fan and high school football player; he was a proficient banjo player and a folk music aficionado; and

WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was considered by all who knew him as a loving, affable, and easygoing family man, an innovative educator and researcher, and a man who embodied integrity and good ethics; and

WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. is survived by his fiancee, Marilee Marchelya; his children, Arne, Sarah, and Owen Duncan; his sister, Martha McHenry; two nephews; and seven grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Starkey Duncan Jr.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Starkey Duncan Jr. as an expression of our sympathy.