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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of John Alan Woodruff, who passed away on
4September 10, 2023; and
 
5    WHEREAS, John Woodruff was born in Carlinville to William
6Verness and Mary (Parker) Woodruff on February 1, 1939; he
7grew up in Carlinville, where he enjoyed the outdoors; he was a
8High School All-American in football, threw the discus and
9shot put, and participated in band and chorus activities; he
10played football for one year at the University of Illinois in
11Urbana-Champaign and graduated as a field biology major from
12Southern Illinois University at Alton in 1963; he married
13Judith Colleen VanPelt on November 9, 1963; and
 
14    WHEREAS, John Woodruff started his career as a textbook
15editor/writer for a high school publishing company; he later
16became a mainframe computer specialist and, after years of
17programming and system design, went into management and
18consulting; he worked in both the public and private sectors
19for over 40 years; and
 
20    WHEREAS, John Woodruff oversaw many of the early efforts
21to consolidate computers while working for the State of
22Illinois, including the establishment of the data processing

 

 

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1department of the new Department of Alcoholism and Substance
2Abuse and development of several PC-based systems for the
3Illinois State Board of Education; in addition, he was an
4assistant professor in the business school at Sangamon State
5University (now UIS) and an adjunct professor at Lincoln Land
6Community College, specializing in system development and
7business management; and
 
8    WHEREAS, John Woodruff was actively involved in the
9Springfield theater scene; he was on stage at Springfield's
10Muni 15 times in 14 years; he played Amos Hart in Springfield's
11original production of Chicago and was known as Mr.
12Cellophane; after he and Judy built their dream log home in
13rural New Berlin in 1993, he concentrated more on Theater in
14the Park and venues in Jacksonville; ultimately, he got into
15directing local productions, including Carousel, Seven Brides
16for Seven Brothers, and others; he restaged the epic poem John
17Brown's Body for the modern theater and wrote and directed
18three successful plays, Civil War Journeys, Drummer Girl, and
19Baltimore Plot; he was a member of a local storytellers group,
20loved to write short, two-person plays, and was fascinated by
21history and family ancestry; and
 
22    WHEREAS, John Woodruff was an avid hunter and fisherman, a
23competitive bass fisherman, and a proud member of Ducks
24Unlimited, the NRA, and the Capitol City Men's Chorus; he

 

 

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1enjoyed golfing and had great respect for the environment and
2the conservation of natural resources; and
 
3    WHEREAS, John Woodruff is survived by his wife, Judith;
4his son, Jim Woodruff; his daughter, Beth (Bob) Paton; and his
5grandchildren, Tim Paton, Andy (Lydia) Paton, Bailey Woodruff,
6Parker Woodruff, and Riley Woodruff; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
9John Alan Woodruff and extend our sincere condolences to his
10family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
11further
 
12    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13presented to the family of John Woodruff as an expression of
14our deepest sympathy.