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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Richard Ellison Carver, former mayor
4of Peoria, who passed away on May 5, 2023; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Richard Carver was born in Des Moines, Iowa to
6Maurice "Red" and Alice (Ellison) Carver on August 28, 1937;
7he attended the University of Iowa, where he joined the Phi
8Gamma Delta fraternity; he graduated from Bradley University
9in Peoria; he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command,
10attaining the rank of colonel; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Richard Carver carried on his father's legacy as
12president of the Carver Lumber Company; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Richard Carver was a pillar of his community; he
14had a long career in public service and never let a problem go
15unsolved; he ran for the city council in his twenties and then
16spent nearly two decades as Peoria's mayor; during his tenure,
17he transformed downtown Peoria, building a civic center and
18ushering in a new University of Illinois medical school
19campus, among other things; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Richard Carver's career moved to the national
21stage by the late 1970s; he was appointed to presidential

 

 

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1commissions under both President Carter and President Reagan;
2he spearheaded a Mayors for Reagan campaign and was appointed
3as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial
4Management during the Reagan administration; he was proud of
5his time at the Pentagon, and he called the Washington, D.C.
6area home for nearly 30 years; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Richard Carver and his wife had a passion for
8travel and ventured to nearly every corner of the world,
9including mainland China, Taiwan, Scandinavia, Russia, and
10Papua New Guinea; based on his experiences, he developed the
11opinion that the best cars, beer, coffee, and bread could all
12be found in Germany, and he helped develop the relationship
13between Peoria and its German sister city, Friedrichshafen,
14into a strong and long-lasting bond; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Richard Carver and Judy moved to Sarasota in 2013
16for the sunny weather, and they enjoyed afternoons on the
17lanai with their corgis, Jackson and Jack; in his retirement,
18he had two homes on two golf courses, and you could often find
19him on the green; if you ran into him golfing, you might have
20overheard some very colorful language alongside his big,
21booming laugh; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Richard Carver was preceded in death by his wife
23of 63 years, Judith; his parents; and his brother, Stephen

 

 

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1Carver; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Richard Carver is survived by his children,
3Kathryn (RJ) Binau, Stephen (Wendy) Carver, Cynthia (Patrick)
4Smith, and Susan (Mark) Pendergrass; his grandchildren,
5Caitlin, Shannon, Alexa, Collin, Christopher, Beau, Sheridan,
6Kevin, and Hannah; and three great-grandchildren; therefore,
7be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
9ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10Richard Ellison Carver, former mayor of Peoria, and extend our
11sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
12and loved him; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Richard Carver as an expression of
15our deepest sympathy.