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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of Susan Loving Gravenhorst, who passed away | ||||||
4 | on September 15, 2019; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst was born in Effingham to Harold | ||||||
6 | and Julia (Highsmith) Loving on October 1, 1931; she skipped | ||||||
7 | the third grade and graduated from Effingham High School as | ||||||
8 | class valedictorian at the age of 16; she graduated from | ||||||
9 | Stephens College for Women in Columbia, Missouri in 1950 and | ||||||
10 | received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a credential in | ||||||
11 | secondary school teaching and a minor in speech from the | ||||||
12 | University of Illinois in 1952; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst married Albert D. "Alby" | ||||||
14 | Gravenhorst on Valentine's Day 1953, and they moved around the | ||||||
15 | country, as Albert pursued a career in advertising while Susan | ||||||
16 | taught English, journalism, and speech in junior high and high | ||||||
17 | schools in Atlanta, Des Moines, Birmingham (MI), Cleveland, | ||||||
18 | Dallas, and finally Lake Forest; in the 1960s, she and her | ||||||
19 | husband founded Gravenhorst & Associates, Incorporated in | ||||||
20 | Chicago, where she served as chief financial officer and | ||||||
21 | treasurer for over 35 years; and
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22 | WHEREAS, While living in Lake Forest, Susan Gravenhorst |
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1 | became involved with many community organizations, including | ||||||
2 | the Cherokee School PTA (President), the Lake Forest PTA | ||||||
3 | (President), the Lake Forest High School Volunteer Board | ||||||
4 | (President), the Lake Forest Symphony Associations' Women's | ||||||
5 | Committee, the Lake Bluff/Lake Forest Committee of the Arden | ||||||
6 | Shore Association, the Lake Forest Hospital Women's Board, PEO | ||||||
7 | KV Chapter (President), Faith Lutheran Church's Mary and Martha | ||||||
8 | Guild (President), and the Friends of Gorton Community Center | ||||||
9 | Board; and | ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst became active in local | ||||||
11 | politics, first serving as the president of the Women's | ||||||
12 | Republican Club of Lake Forest; she served on the Lake Forest | ||||||
13 | Caucus for eight years and as the State Central Republican | ||||||
14 | Committeewoman for the Illinois 10th Congressional District | ||||||
15 | from 1982 to 1998; she was also a member of the Lake County | ||||||
16 | Republican Federation Board of Governors from 1968 to 1984; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, In 1984, Susan Gravenhorst was elected to the | ||||||
18 | University of Illinois Board of Trustees; she was re-elected in | ||||||
19 | 1990 and, after the board shifted from elective to appointive, | ||||||
20 | was appointed to a third term by Governor Jim Edgar in 1996; in | ||||||
21 | 1998, she was elected chairman of the board and, consequently, | ||||||
22 | her signature is on the diplomas of thousands of students who | ||||||
23 | graduated during the 1998 to 2000 timeframe; she chaired most | ||||||
24 | of the committees of the board and was the first woman to chair |
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1 | the committee on athletics; she also served as a board member | ||||||
2 | of the University of Illinois Foundation and its President's | ||||||
3 | Council and the State Universities Civil Service Merit Board; | ||||||
4 | and | ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, In 1999 at its annual convention in Seattle, the | ||||||
6 | Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges | ||||||
7 | honored Susan Gravenhorst with its Distinguished Service Award | ||||||
8 | in Trusteeship for the "best volunteer service to public higher | ||||||
9 | education"; and | ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, In 2002, after retiring from the University of | ||||||
11 | Illinois Board of Trustees, she was elected Lake County | ||||||
12 | Commissioner and served Lake Forest/Lake Bluff for eight years, | ||||||
13 | retiring in 2012 at age 80; and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst was a member of the Knollwood | ||||||
15 | Club, the Delta Gamma Sorority, and PEO; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst was preceded in death by her | ||||||
17 | husband, Alby; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst is survived by her son, Hugo | ||||||
19 | (Terese) Gravenhorst; her daughters, Suzanne Gravenhorst and | ||||||
20 | Jane (Lars) Soderberg; and her grandchildren, Abigail (Ian) | ||||||
21 | Strug, Eleanor Gravenhorst, Lars A. Soderberg, Anders |
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1 | Soderberg, and Bradley Soderberg; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
3 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
4 | Susan Loving Gravenhorst and extend our sincere condolences to | ||||||
5 | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
6 | further
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7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
8 | presented to the family of Susan Gravenhorst as an expression | ||||||
9 | of our deepest sympathy.
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