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SR0741 |
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LRB093 23421 HSS 53409 r |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois |
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| learned with regret of the death of Mary Jane Hobson Wessell of |
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| Des Plaines on Tuesday, August 24, 2004; and
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| WHEREAS, Mrs. Wessell spent her childhood in Roodhouse, |
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| where she lived with her parents and older brother on a farm; |
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| her father took a job with the EJ&E Railroad and they moved |
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| throughout the State before settling in Joliet; following high |
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| school, she attended Lake Forest College, where she met her |
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| husband, Richard Wessell; and
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| WHEREAS, When she and Richard met, they had the same goal - |
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| to own a newspaper; shortly after they married in the 1940s, |
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| they turned their dream into a reality by purchasing the Des |
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| Plaines Journal; and
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| WHEREAS, Mrs. Wessell held numerous positions in the |
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| business; she was editor of the social page for many years |
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| before its title changed to the family section and then became |
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| the lifestyle section; she was also head bookkeeper and travel |
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| editor; she would often work six days a week at the paper, but |
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| found time to be a member of the Ladies of the Elks and to teach |
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| Sunday school at First Methodist Church of Des Plaines; and
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| WHEREAS, As a result of her work as the travel editor and |
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| her stories about her travels, Mrs. Wessell was invited to join |
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| two premiere travel writing organizations, the Society of |
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| American Travel Writers and Midwest Travel Writers |
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| Association; throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she traveled |
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| around the world, visiting places such as Hong Kong, Paris, and |
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| Scandinavia; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Mrs. Wessell has been deeply felt |
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| by many, especially her children, Stephen, Todd (Carolyn), |