SR0443 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0443 LRB094 14243 HSS 49156 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Dr. Rollin George Taecker, Ph.D., of Naperville, on Friday, August 19, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Born in Watertown, South Dakota, Dr. Taecker was the youngest of five children raised by a father who was among the pioneers first settling that part of the country and a mother whose grandfather had helped to found Naperville; he was high school valedictorian and later received a bachelor's degree from the South Dakota School of Mines; he received a doctorate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he gravitated toward nuclear science; his early research there helped identify processes for nuclear separation and oil refinement; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Taecker later became a chemical engineering professor at Kansas State University, and in 1953, he helped initiate President Dwight Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program at Argonne, near Lemont, an effort to promote international scientific cooperation by offering other nations assistance in harnessing the power of nuclear energy for peaceful uses; and

WHEREAS, An expert in his field, Dr. Taecker's career took him throughout the world as he assisted efforts for the peaceful use of atomic energy; in France, he was a Fellow at the Saclay Nuclear Institute from 1962 to 1963; in Vienna, Austria, he served the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency as its chief of fellowships and training from 1969 to 1971; major assignments also took him to the Philippines, Brazil, South Korea, and Japan; his intellect, professionalism, and his warm and earnest style made a positive and lasting contribution to friendly relations between the United States and other nations; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Taecker also devoted time to community service; his wife, Patricia Precourt Taecker, assisted him as an ambassador of American friendship and leader in the community; together, they helped initiate programs for the support of the mentally ill in DuPage County; he also served on the College of DuPage's board of trustees and was elected to Naperville's City Council in 1958, where he served as commissioner of public works and helped devise the city's first long-range comprehensive development plan for growth and helped bring sewage treatment facilities into Naperville; and

WHEREAS, He is remembered as a true gentleman and for his calm demeanor; he enjoyed tinkering in his garage and working on his own inventions; he had been a member of Grace United Methodist Church since 1955; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Dr. Taecker has been deeply felt by many, especially his wife of 58 years, Patricia; his sons, Kevin, Kurt, and Matt; his five grandchildren; and his sister-in-law, Nel Taecker; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dr. Rollin George Taecker, Ph.D., and we 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 his family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.