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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 learned with regret of the death of former Senate President
4 William "Bill" C. Harris of Pontiac on December 30, 2004; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Senator Harris was born May 7, 1921, in Pontiac to
6 Raleigh J. and Bernadine (Cullen) Harris; he graduated from
7 Pontiac grade and high schools; he entered Michigan State
8 University in the fall of 1941, and in December 1941, he
9 enlisted in the U.S. Navy; while at Great Lakes, he was named
10 honor man out of a class of 750 in the naval program; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Senator Harris valiantly served his country
12 during World War II as aviation chief ordinance man in the
13 South Pacific and was honorably discharged in December of 1945;
14 after returning to Pontiac, he joined the R.J. Harris Funeral
15 Home as a partner; on May 31, 1947, he married Jeanne Turck in
16 Pontiac at the original Grace Episcopal Church on the square;
17 and
 
18     WHEREAS, In May 1948, he became the charter president of
19 Pontiac Jaycees; he was also a charter member of the Saint
20 James Hospital advisory board, and a member of the Moose,
21 Pontiac Elks Lodge, Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
22 American Legion, and the Voiture 8 et 8 in Pontiac; and
 
23     WHEREAS, First elected to the Illinois General Assembly in
24 1954 at the age of 33, he was the House Whip during his six
25 years of tenure in that body; in 1960, he was elected to the
26 Senate, and during his 16 years of service, he held the
27 position of assistant majority leader and was elected the first
28 President of the Senate under the new Illinois Constitution;
29 during his tenure in the Senate, he was chairman of the
30 Budgetary Commission and was the first chairman of the Economic
31 and Fiscal Commission, successor to the Budgetary Commission,

 

 

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1 and he was elected "Most Effective Senator" three consecutive
2 years; and
 
3     WHEREAS, In 1977, he was appointed by Governor Jim Thompson
4 as Commissioner of Banks and Trust Companies, a position he
5 held until he retired in January 1991; while serving as
6 commissioner, he also served as chairman of the board of the
7 National Conference of State Bank Supervisors and was a board
8 member of the C.S.B.S., Washington, D.C., for eight years; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Senator Harris was a delegate to the Republican
10 National Convention in Miami in 1968; he served as trustee of
11 the Humiston Haven Nursing Home, trustee of the Appolos Camp,
12 Bennet Humiston Trust since 1975, and trustee on the Floyd and
13 Alta Byrne Trust; he served as a senior vice president of Cole
14 Taylor Bank, as a board member of the Community Bank of
15 Pittsfield, and as ambassador at-large to the Community Bankers
16 of Illinois; he was chairman of the World Trade Association of
17 Illinois for two years, a board member of the Cradle in
18 Evanston for many years, and then was an Emeritus Member of the
19 Cradle Board; he was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in
20 Pontiac; and
 
21     WHEREAS, A staunch Republican, Senator Harris was widely
22 respected regardless of partisan politics, and he will be
23 remembered as a great people person and as always having a
24 smile and an upbeat attitude; on the statewide scene, the City
25 of Pontiac was synonymous with Bill Harris; he was a part of
26 the history and depth of Pontiac and of Illinois history; in
27 the Senate, he was known to "reach across the political aisle"
28 and was supportive of needs across the State; and
 
29     WHEREAS, The passing of William C. Harris has been felt by
30 many, especially his wife Jeanne; his children, Barbara A.
31 Harris and Charles M. (Robin) Harris; and his grandchildren,
32 Lindsey J. Schrof and Jenna Harris; he was preceded in death by

 

 

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1 his mother, Bernadine Harris; his father, Raleigh J. Harris;
2 his sister, Helen Elizabeth Harris; and his brother, Raleigh J.
3 Harris Jr.; therefore, be it
 
4     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
5 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
6 Senator William C. Harris, a man who will be remembered for his
7 integrity and thoroughness in the job, and we extend our
8 deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and
9 loved him; and be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to his family as an expression of our deepest
12 sympathy.