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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of George Jacob Lewis of Quincy, who passed
4away on July 14, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, George Lewis was born in Rushville to Dana Mendel
6and Gladys Elizabeth Hersman Lewis on August 17, 1930; he was
7raised working on his family's farm in Hersman, which was named
8after his great-grandfather Jacob Hersman, and graduated from
9Brown County High School in Mount Sterling in 1948; in high
10school, he had many activities and interests, including
11basketball and working on the school newspaper; he was
12president of his class and president of the science club; he
13was a county and state Outstanding 4-H Club member and a
14delegate to the National 4-H Club Congress; he won 15 local,
15district, and state IHSA public speaking contests; he was
16active with Future Farmers of America (FFA), serving as
17chairman on the state champion FFA Parliamentary Procedure
18Team; he won the national/regional FFA public speaking contest
19and placed fourth in the national FFA public speaking finals;
20he was the president of the local chapter of FFA, as well as
21the state FFA president; and
 
22    WHEREAS, After high school, George Lewis stayed home on the
23farm and was awarded his American Farmer Degree, an FFA

 

 

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1distinction; he was a junior leader of the local 4-H club and
2was elected as the national president of FFA; as president, he
3assisted with organizing the FFA of Japan, and he toured the
4U.S., fulfilling the extensive duties of a national officer; he
5visited the White House to meet with President Harry Truman;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 1951, George Lewis was active in The Campaign
8Among Youth For Support of International Christian University
9in Japan; he won the North American essay contest and was
10selected as one of two youth from North America to represent
11this group on a trip to Japan; he appeared before the emperor
12of Japan and attended the opening of the new university near
13Tokyo; he married Joan Garrison on June 19, 1951, and they used
14the trip to Japan as a honeymoon; and
 
15    WHEREAS, George Lewis was moderator of the local youth
16organization, Westminster Fellowship; he was elected moderator
17of the Presbytery in the state and the national Westminster
18Fellowship; he was president of the state Interdenominational
19Christian Youth Organization (ICYO), delegate to the world
20conference of the ICYO in Toronto, Canada, and executive
21director of the state ICYO; and
 
22    WHEREAS, As a student at the University of Illinois, George
23Lewis was elected to the board of directors of the university

 

 

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1YMCA; he graduated with high honors and a Bachelor of Science
2in Agricultural Science; he was an honor student in the College
3of Law and was designated as a Fulbright Scholar to conduct
4legal research and study law for a year at the University of
5London; he earned a certificate of completion from the
6Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, and,
7along with Joan, later co-authored a book detailing their
8adventure, titled Rolling in the Isles; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Upon his return from England, George Lewis
10reported for active duty with the United States Air Force,
11where he "fought the Battle of Topeka" (as he called it) as a
12procurement officer; he took night classes at the Washburn
13University Law School; he was a member of the Kansas Bar
14Journal Review Board and authored an article in the Kansas Bar
15Journal on Law and Electronics; after two years, he was
16honorably discharged as a captain; he earned a J.D. from the
17College of Law at the University of Illinois; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In 1958, George Lewis moved his family to Quincy
19and commenced practicing law, which he did successfully for 57
20years; he was the senior partner in his law firm, which once
21had offices in Quincy, Mount Sterling, and Rushville; he served
22as vice president of the Adams County Bar Association, was a
23member of the Illinois and American Bar Associations, and
24served as chairman of the Illinois State Bar Association

 

 

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1Committee for Legal Research by Electronics; and
 
2    WHEREAS, In 1970, George Lewis was elected as a delegate to
3the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention; he served as
4chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Convention and
5contributed to the re-writing of the Illinois Constitution; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1980, George ran for Illinois State Senate,
7falling short against the 48th District incumbent, Mary Lou
8Kent; many now claim that his loss was Quincy's win, due to the
9continued contributions he made by remaining a local fixture;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, George Lewis was president of the Adams County
12Heart Association and a member of the board of directors of the
13Good Samaritan Home; he was one of five who organized the first
14workshop and social center for disabled adults in Adams County
15and served as president of the board of directors; he provided
16volunteer service as the attorney for Home Ownership Assistance
17of Quincy, Inc.; and
 
18    WHEREAS, George Lewis was a member of the Adams County
19Mental Health Board, the Advisory Council of the Quincy High
20School Vocational Agricultural Department, the board of
21directors of the Adams County Family Service Agency, Quincy
22Noon Optimists, Rotary East, and the board of directors of the

 

 

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1Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County; he was a member
2of the board of directors and on the executive committee of the
3Great River Economic Development Foundation; and
 
4    WHEREAS, George Lewis served seven years as a member of
5Quincy's Equal Opportunity Commission and volunteered in his
6local mentoring program for fifth- and sixth-graders; and
 
7    WHEREAS, George Lewis had been a member and elder of the
8First United Presbyterian Church of Quincy and was most
9recently a member of the Ellington Presbyterian Church; and
 
10    WHEREAS, George Lewis enjoyed numerous activities,
11including bridge clubs, dominoes, photography, gardening,
12landscaping, antiques, spending time with family and friends,
13and exploring numerous countries throughout the world's seven
14continents; he volunteered to help install shallow wells in
15Malawi, Africa with the Marion Medical Mission; and
 
16    WHEREAS, George Lewis was preceded in death by his wife of
17almost 66 years, Joan Garrison Lewis; his parents; his
18daughter, Ronda Kay Lewis; his brother, John Lewis; his
19brothers-in-law, John Henderson, Keith Delap, and Dave Ford;
20and his sister-in-law, Katherine "Kay" Rose Governale Lewis;
21and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, George Lewis is survived by his children, Karen
2(Stephen) Forte, Sheri (Mike) Jackson, and Gary (Debby Davis)
3Lewis; his grandchildren, Paul (Jennifer) Forte, Michael
4(Stephanie Wuerth) Forte, Jesse Jackson, and Mikki Jackson;
5many step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; his
6brothers and sisters, Jean Delap, Ruth Henderson, Dana (Anita)
7Lewis, Dick (Cheri Lee) Lewis, Charles (Marney) Lewis, Anne
8Ford, and Mary (Jack) Garland; numerous cousins; and many
9nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
11ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
12George Jacob Lewis and extend our sincere condolences to his
13family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
14further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16presented to the family of George Lewis as an expression of our
17deepest sympathy.