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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House wish to express
3 their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Willard
4 T. "Bill" Hodge, who passed away on September 21, 2004; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Mr. Hodge was born on August 2, 1928, in New York
6 City, to Willard T. and Anna Kopp Hodge; he married Anita Hoops
7 on August 23, 1950; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Mr. Hodge attended the New York school system,
9 Riverdale Country School, and Michigan State University; and
 
10     WHEREAS, It was at Michigan State University that Mr. Hodge
11 got his first taste of farming; he decided to leave the city to
12 farm at Villa Grove; and in 1956, he moved to his Seymour farm
13 in Champaign County, in the Mahomet-Seymour area, where he
14 continued to farm until his death; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In 1975, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz and
16 Congressman Edward Madigan visited Mr. Hodge's farm to discuss
17 farm issues with local farm leaders and representatives of the
18 University of Illinois; due to the media coverage of the event,
19 Mr. Hodge's farm appeared in People Magazine and on the front
20 page of the Wall Street Journal; and
 
21     WHEREAS, In recognition of his contributions to farming,
22 Bill Hodge was honored in 1981 as the News-Gazette Farm Leader
23 of the Year; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Bill Hodge was an active member of his community;
25 he served on the Champaign County Forest Preserve District from
26 1987, until he resigned in 1993 to pursue his interests in
27 government, the environment, and land use; he was instrumental
28 in the drafting of Champaign County's first zoning ordinance;
29 and he traveled to Washington to advocate for agriculture to

 

 

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1 the members of Congress; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Mr. Hodge also enjoyed Republican Party politics;
3 he was the coordinator for 26 counties of Farm Families for
4 Ronald Reagan for President, headed the State of Illinois
5 Farmers for George Bush for President, was precinct
6 committeeman for Mahomet 2, was a past member of the Champaign
7 County Republican Executive Committee, co-chaired the Farm
8 Bureau Legislative Committee, and was a member of the Carle
9 Foundation; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The passing of Bill Hodge will be felt by all who
11 knew and loved him, especially his wife, Anita; therefore, be
12 it
 
13     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15 mourn, along with all who knew and loved him, the death of Bill
16 Hodge; and be it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to the family of Bill Hodge.