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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Bruce Frederick Newton of Aurora, who
4 passed away on November 6, 2007; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton was born in Saginaw, Michigan on
6 December 21, 1926; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton was a graduate of Arthur Hill High
8 School; after graduation, he joined the United States Navy and
9 was assigned to the USS Planter; he attended Bay City Junior
10 College and then enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts,
11 where he met his future wife, Claire, whom he married in 1948;
12 and
 
13     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton had a long and distinguished career
14 in the art of puppetry; he delighted children for 54 years by
15 performing throughout the Chicago area with as many as 150
16 puppet shows a year; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton's career in television began in 1949;
18 his wonderful characters soon gained great popularity, with his
19 shows being featured on WBKB in 1953 and the late-night
20 Saturday program "Shock Theater" in 1956; he and his wife also
21 worked on such shows as Kukla, Fran and Ollie, Mr. Wizard, and

 

 

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1 Wide World of Sports; he also assisted in the creation of
2 WCIU-TV in 1964; he retired from television in 1976 and started
3 his own company, West Park Productions, which put on
4 tele-puppet revues throughout the Chicagoland area; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton's most famous puppet was Garfield
6 Goose, the self-proclaimed "King of the United States" on the
7 "Garfield Goose and Friends Show", which aired on WGN from 1952
8 until 1976; and
 
9     WHEREAS, In April of 2004, Bruce Newton and his wife were
10 inducted into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame; on March 15,
11 2000, former Mayor David Stover declared "Bruce and Claire Day"
12 in recognition of their contributions to the city; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton was preceded in death by his wife and
14 his daughter, Darry Heenan; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Bruce Newton is survived by his children, Sandy
16 Bailey and her husband, Bill, Kim Newton and his wife, Lynne,
17 Robin Newton Iacono and her husband, August, and Tammy Katus
18 and her husband, Bob; his seven grandchildren; and his three
19 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
21 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with

 

 

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1 his family and friends, the passing of Bruce Newton; and be it
2 further
 
3     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to the family of Bruce Newton as an expression of our
5 sympathy.