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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of John
4Robert Power of Jacksonville, who passed away on October 9,
52018; and
 
6    WHEREAS, John Power was born in Jacksonville to Carl Otto
7Power Jr. and Camille Dennehy on March 22, 1949; he graduated
8from Jacksonville High School in 1967; in 1973, he received a
9degree in English from Illinois College, where he served as
10president of the Sigma Pi literary society, led staff as editor
11of the campus newspaper, The Rambler, and participated as a
12member of the IC Forum; in 1969, he received the Paul E.
13Watkins Journalism Prize, and while in college, worked as a
14wire editor for the Journal-Courier; he married Judith Susan
15Fay in Washington, D.C. in 1978; and
 
16    WHEREAS, After college, John Power worked his way up from
17reporter to city editor in the Journal-Courier newsroom; when
18his father-in-law retired in 1982, he became publisher, and the
19Journal-Courier was modernized in every respect, including the
20installation of a new press in 1992; he oversaw the assembly of
21a talented and loyal staff, and under his direction, the
22newspaper won many awards for its editorial content, design,
23photography, and reproduction quality; he was especially proud

 

 

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1of a 14-section, 200-page special edition titled, "A Journey
2Through Time: Jacksonville 1825-2000"; and
 
3    WHEREAS, John Power was an active civic leader for many
4decades, serving as past president of the Illinois State
5Historical Society and as chairman of its Finance Committee; he
6was a former member of the boards of directors of the Illinois
7Manufacturers' Association, the Illinois Humanities Council,
8the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, the
9Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Jacksonville Main
10Street; he was also a past chairman of the Governor's Task
11Force of Historic Preservation, a past president and treasurer
12of the Morgan County Historical Society, a past chairman of the
13Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, and treasurer
14of the Governor Duncan Association; he was a past president of
15the Jacksonville Rotary Club, a trustee of Sigma Pi Society of
16Illinois College, a member of the Illinois College Board of
17Trustees, a member of the board of directors of the
18Jacksonville Area Economic Development Corporation, a member
19of the federal government's Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
20Commission Advisory Board, and one of the three founders of the
21West Plains Investors, Inc.; and
 
22    WHEREAS, John Power was involved in the Corridor 67
23initiative, a grassroots lobbying effort to enhance the highway
24stretching from Alton to Macomb from two lanes to four; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, John Power was an avid genealogical researcher and
2spent much of his time immersed in the history of Jacksonville,
3Morgan County, and the State of Illinois; he spent many summers
4working on Chautauqua and looked forward to running the Ferris
5wheel; he enjoyed traveling with the Rotary Club and his
6family, including to India, Israel, Egypt, Nigeria, and Peru;
7he was an avid reader and collector of books, maps, antiques,
8and assorted pieces of history; he was a dedicated member of
9Trinity Episcopal Church of Jacksonville; and
 
10    WHEREAS, John Power was preceded in death by his wife,
11Judith; and
 
12    WHEREAS, John Power is survived by his daughter, Phoebe
13(Steven) Power Googe; his son, Litton Power; his granddaughter,
14Isabel Fay; and his many lifelong friends; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
16HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17we mourn the passing of John Robert Power and extend our
18sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
19and loved him; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to the family of John Power as an expression of our

 

 

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1deepest sympathy.