SR0853 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0853 LRB102 26340 ECR 36428 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Paul O. Rust of South Jacksonville, who passed away on February 8, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust was born to Heike Albert and Gladys Mariann Stubblefield Rust in Ipava on December 1, 1924; he graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1942; he entered Illinois College (IC) in 1942 before serving in the U.S. Air Force at Bolling Field, Washington D.C. from 1943 to 1946; he earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Illinois College in 1949, where he was a member of the Phi Alpha Literary Society and the choir and played football; he married Lois Jane Smith at Central Christian Church in Jacksonville on July 24, 1949; he earned his master's degree in Education from the University of Illinois in 1954; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust managed the Nichols Park swimming pool from 1949 to 1951, during which time the pool was desegregated; he taught and coached six-man football at Franklin High School from 1949 to 1951; he then worked for Jacksonville School District #117 from 1952 to 1987, where he taught at Franklin Elementary School for 19 years, Turner Junior High School for 12 years, and Eisenhower Elementary School for four years; during the summer months, he served as a crop hail claims adjuster for Country Companies for 25 years; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust served as president and regional representative for the Jacksonville Education Association, a delegate for the Illinois Education Association, an Illinois delegate to the National Education Association (NEA), and a board member of the Illinois College Alumni Association; he was a life member of the NEA; he was also a member of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) and Phi Delta Kappa; he was a committee member and merit badge counselor of the South Jacksonville Boy Scout Troop 113; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust was an ordained elder, emeritus, of the Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Jacksonville, where he drove the church bus and was a member of the church choir for more than 40 years; he served on the World Outreach Committee and participated in mission trips to Paraguay and Thailand; he also served as a volunteer for Doorbell Dinners and the Jacksonville Food Center; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust was named the Illinois College Distinguished Citizen in 1992; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust enjoyed woodworking, photography, and traveling to all 50 states, all seven continents, and many countries; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust was preceded in death by his sisters, Elizabeth Ann "Bettie" Doolin and Christina Mae "Tena" Martin; and

WHEREAS, Paul Rust is survived by his wife; his son, Paul Wesley (Deb) Rust; his daughter, Sarah Lois Rust Reinke; his granddaughters, Heather Colwell, Laura Books, Ginny Walsh, and Emma Reinke; his eight great-grandchildren; and an International Christian Youth Exchange student from Finland who lived with the family for a year and is loved as a daughter, Eeva Laukkanen; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Paul O. Rust and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Paul Rust as an expression of our deepest sympathy.