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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former | ||||||
| 4 | Mt. Vernon Mayor Rolland Lewis, who passed away on November 5, | ||||||
| 5 | 2011; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, He was born to Chester and Lillian (Fair) Lewis in | ||||||
| 7 | Chicago on October 13, 1930; he was an active member and lay | ||||||
| 8 | reader of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Mt. Vernon; he | ||||||
| 9 | attended Caldwell Grade School and graduated from Bowen High | ||||||
| 10 | School, after which he attended the first 2 years at the | ||||||
| 11 | University of Illinois Chicago Annex; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, On June 25, 1952, he married Sally Watts; he | ||||||
| 13 | proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps | ||||||
| 14 | during the Korean War as a Gunnery Sergeant; he spent 5 months | ||||||
| 15 | in combat with the 1st Marine Division before being wounded and | ||||||
| 16 | spending several months recovering in a hospital in Japan; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, In 1959, he moved to Mt. Vernon with his wife, | ||||||
| 18 | Sally, and became active in the community; he was a real estate | ||||||
| 19 | manager, ran Lewis and Farley Construction Co., started and ran | ||||||
| 20 | House de Lions, Ltd., and participated, with his long-time | ||||||
| 21 | friend, David Flota, in the upstart of a new company called Mr. | ||||||
| 22 | Ice; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, He was instrumental in bringing the YMCA to Mt. | ||||||
| 2 | Vernon and served as its president; he later served as vice | ||||||
| 3 | president of the Southern Illinois YMCA, becoming a drive | ||||||
| 4 | chairman for the United Fund in Jefferson County, and was | ||||||
| 5 | active in the VFW, AMVETS, and American Legion; he was elected | ||||||
| 6 | as Mayor of Mt. Vernon as well as precinct committeeman in the | ||||||
| 7 | Shiloh 4 precinct; his tenure as Mayor of Mt. Vernon lasted | ||||||
| 8 | from 1969 to 1977 and again from 1985 to 1997; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, He served as past president of the Illinois | ||||||
| 10 | Municipal League, helped form the Southern Illinois Mayors | ||||||
| 11 | Association (SIMA), serving as president 3 times; he served on | ||||||
| 12 | the Illinois Economic Board, the Illinois Commission on the | ||||||
| 13 | Future of Public Service, and the Environmental Financial | ||||||
| 14 | Advisory Board for the United States EPA in Washington, D.C.; | ||||||
| 15 | he served on the Governor's Advisory Board under the Ogilvie | ||||||
| 16 | administration and the Illinois Law Enforcement Administration | ||||||
| 17 | as an appointee of Governor Thompson; he was also appointed by | ||||||
| 18 | Governor Edgar and Governor Ryan and confirmed by the Senate as | ||||||
| 19 | Chairman of the Board of Review for the Department of | ||||||
| 20 | Employment Security for 14 years; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents and his | ||||||
| 22 | son, Jeffrey George Lewis Sr.; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Rolland Lewis is survived by his wife of more than | ||||||
| 2 | 59 years, Sally Lewis; his sons, John Lewis and wife, Pam, | ||||||
| 3 | Brian Lewis and wife, Kathy, and Robert Lewis; his | ||||||
| 4 | daughter-in-law, Minda Lewis; his 16 grandchildren: and his 8 | ||||||
| 5 | great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| 6 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 7 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 8 | we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of | ||||||
| 9 | Rolland Lewis; and be it further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 11 | presented to the family of Rolland Lewis as a symbol of our | ||||||
| 12 | sincere sympathy.
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