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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to  
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learn of the death of
Starkey Duncan Jr., who passed away on 
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May 15, 2007; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. spent his childhood in 
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Nashville, Tennessee and San Antonio, Texas; he received a 
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bachelor's degree in philosophy from Vanderbilt University; he 
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served two years as a line officer in the US Navy; upon 
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returning from the Navy he enrolled in the clinical psychology 
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program at the University of Chicago for his doctorate; he 
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joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1967; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was a psychology professor at 
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the University of Chicago; he oversaw the psychology 
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department's undergraduate program since 1977; he was known 
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throughout the university as a mentor for undergraduates and as 
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an advocate for student athletes; he served as the University 
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of Chicago faculty representative to the NCAA for more than 25 
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years; and he helped organize the university's annual folk 
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music festival; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was a pioneer in the study of  
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human interaction; he was a leader in the field of nonverbal 
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communication and was one of the first researchers to go beyond 
 


 






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speech and analyze the gestures, gazes, pauses, and smiles that 
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define face-to-face interactions; he studied the interplay 
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between verbal and nonverbal communication and developed a 
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rigorous methodology to study them, including a technique to 
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diagram and map face-to-face interaction; his research led him 
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to co-author the book "Face to Face Interactions: Research, 
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Methods and Theory", considered a seminal work in the study of 
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human interaction; he recently expanded his work to include 
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interactions between parents and children and physicians and 
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patients, as well as sequential behavior patterns of children 
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in an effort to understand disorders such as autism; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was an enthusiastic sports fan 
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and high school football player; he was a proficient banjo 
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player and a folk music aficionado; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. was considered by all who knew 
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him as a loving, affable, and easygoing family man, an 
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innovative educator and researcher, and a man who embodied 
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integrity and good ethics; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Starkey Duncan Jr. is survived by his fiancee, 
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Marilee Marchelya; his children, Arne, Sarah, and Owen Duncan;  
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his sister, Martha McHenry; two nephews; and seven 
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grandchildren; therefore, be it

 
 


 






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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Starkey Duncan Jr.; and 
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be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Starkey Duncan Jr. as an expression 
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of our sympathy.