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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of former United States Representative Paul
4Findley of Jacksonville, who passed away on August 9, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley was born in Jacksonville to Joseph
6Stillwell Findley and Florence Nichols Findley on June 23,
71921; he attended Jacksonville High School and Illinois
8College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1943; following
9his graduation, he served as a lieutenant in the United States
10Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley met his wife, Lucille Gemme Findley,
12while both were stationed on the island of Guam; following the
13end of the war, they moved to Washington, D.C., where he
14started working as a journalist; he and his family then moved
15to Pittsfield, where he became the president of Pike Press; in
161960, he was elected to serve in the 87th United States
17Congress, a position to which he was re-elected for 11 terms;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley represented the 20th Congressional
20District of Illinois and was a strong advocate for peace and
21cultural awareness; he was an advocate for Civil Rights, an
22outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, and a primary author of

 

 

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1the 1973 War Powers Act; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley served on the Agricultural and
3Foreign Affairs Committees and was known for his support of
4family farmers; he was an advocate for engagement with the Arab
5world, particularly Palestine; he was proud and humbled to
6serve the same district as President Abraham Lincoln; he was
7honored as a Laureate of the Lincoln Academy and considered the
8transfer of the Abraham Lincoln Home in Springfield to the
9National Parks Service one of his greatest achievements as a
10congressman; following his service in Congress, he continued to
11support agricultural development and was actively involved in
12foreign policy as an author and lecturer; he also worked with
13the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development,
14the Council for the National Interest, and the Council for
15American Islamic Relations; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley was a member of First Presbyterian
17Church, Rotary Club International, and the Jacksonville
18Literary Union; he was an alumnus of Illinois College and his
19literary society, Phi Alpha; until his mid-80s, he was a daily
20tennis player and an avowed ice cream enthusiast, a tradition
21he passed to his grandchildren; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley always supported his children and
23grandchildren in pursuing higher education and was delighted to

 

 

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1witness the marriage of all four of his grandchildren and to
2meet each of his great-grandchildren; he was kind and gracious,
3welcoming any and all into his home for coffee and
4conversation; he believed in treating all people with dignity
5and respect and was driven by a curiosity to understand the
6experiences and perspectives of others; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley was preceded in death by his wife,
8Lucille; his parents; and his siblings, Ruth, William, and
9Miriam; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Rep. Findley is survived by his sister, Barbara
11Findley Stuart; his son, Craig (Karyl) Findley; his daughter,
12Diane (Thomas McLaughlin) Findley; his grandchildren, Andrew
13(Grace) Findley, Cameron (Laura) McLaughlin, Henry (Katie)
14McLaughlin, and Elizabeth (Anthony Vicha) Findley; and his
15great-grandchildren, Dominic and Samuel Findley (Andrew) and
16Lillian and Vienne McLaughlin (Cameron); therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
19former United States Representative Paul Findley and extend our
20sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
21and loved him; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the family of Rep. Findley as an expression of our
2deepest sympathy.