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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Bernadine Evans Stake of Urbana, who
4passed away on February 23, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake was born on a farm near Lindy,
6Nebraska to Burt and Ida Haug Evans on April 29, 1926; she
7graduated from the University of Nebraska and also earned her
8master's degree and her doctorate in education from the
9University of Illinois; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake began her career as a teacher in a
11one-room country school house; she then taught elementary
12students in San Diego and later taught science education to
13elementary teachers; she was the principal evaluator of PLATO
14computer elementary mathematics education for the Educational
15Testing Service; she also evaluated the National Sex Equity
16Demonstration Project based in Broward County, Florida for the
17National Science Foundation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake served on the Equal Rights
19Committee of the American Educational Research Association;
20she was also active in the Urbana community and served on the
21Urbana City Council and the Planning Commission; she was the
22Democratic precinct committee chairwoman for the 10th

 

 

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1Precinct, 4th Ward for many decades; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake was an active leader in local
3government; she promoted a progressive agenda that included the
4passage of a Human Rights Ordinance in 1975, the first in the
5state and one of the first in the nation to acknowledge LGBTQ
6rights; she introduced and shepherded the passage of a Fair
7Housing Law for the City of Urbana to thwart redlining, and she
8introduced a resolution putting Urbana on record opposing the
9war in Vietnam; she also promoted tenant safety with an
10ordinance requiring deadbolts on all exterior doors of
11apartments; she advocated for protecting the environment in
12many ways, including residential collection of recyclable
13materials, which passed in 1986; she was appointed to the
14Urbana Planning Commission in 1995 and served for almost 20
15years; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake and her husband Bob attended and
17supported the Unitarian Universalist Church, starting in
18Lincoln, Nebraska, and then the Green Street church in Urbana;
19they also attended Camp Unistar in Minnesota for many years;
20she twice served as president of the board for the Channing
21Murray Foundation, the campus affiliate of the church; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake's foundation was her family and
23all were welcome in her home; she inspired women to pursue

 

 

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1political leadership, campaigned tirelessly for other women
2pursuing careers in government, and fought for fairness and
3justice for all in every way she could; she was not afraid to
4challenge the status quo; she will be remembered as an
5energetic, spirited, and loving woman, who was beloved for her
6fighting spirit, optimism, and caring nature; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake was preceded in death by her
8parents; her brother, Bert Merlin Evans; and her sister,
9Pauline Evans Lemke; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Bernadine Stake is survived by her husband of 67
11years, Robert Stake; her children, Jeffrey (Janet) Stake,
12Benjamin (Nitaya) Stake, Sara (Mark Joselyn) Stake, and Jacob
13(Kim Knutson) Stake; her grandchildren, Christopher, Laura,
14Alison, Walker, and Constantine Stake and Ben, Sam, and Nellie
15Joselyn; her great-grandson, Maceo Jean-Pierre; her
16great-granddaughter, Sloane Craig-Stake; her brother, Kenneth
17(Marilynn) Evans; and her sisters, Enid Kollars and Claryce Lee
18Evans; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
21Bernadine Evans Stake and extend our sincere condolences to her
22family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
23further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Bernadine Stake as an expression of
3our deepest sympathy.