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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are pleased to | ||||||
| 3 | pay respect to the J.P. "Cotton" Knox family of Sangamon County | ||||||
| 4 | for their service to our nation; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The J.P. Knox family began with the birth of J.P. | ||||||
| 6 | "Cotton" Knox on November 16, 1880 in Sangamon County; in 1907, | ||||||
| 7 | he married Esther Loretta Dickerson, also of Sangamon County; | ||||||
| 8 | together they lived on and maintained a small farm west of | ||||||
| 9 | Curran; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, J.P. and Esther Knox began their family with the | ||||||
| 11 | birth of Thomas Dickerson on July 8, 1908; next came James | ||||||
| 12 | Donald on November 24, 1909; he was followed by Kathryn Loretta | ||||||
| 13 | on May 9, 1912, John Louis on July 23, 1914, Charles Carroll on | ||||||
| 14 | November 21, 1916, Lawrence William on January 26, 1919, Howard | ||||||
| 15 | Eugene on March 29, 1921, Paul Edward on January 18, 1923, and | ||||||
| 16 | Joseph Patrick on February 10, 1925; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, In 1932, J.P. Knox was elected to serve as | ||||||
| 18 | Sangamon County Coroner; he instilled in his children the | ||||||
| 19 | importance of civic responsibility and voting as it was their | ||||||
| 20 | duty and privilege as Americans; all of J.P. and Esther's | ||||||
| 21 | children served in various fields and raised children of their | ||||||
| 22 | own, with Joseph following in his father's political footsteps | ||||||
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| 1 | as Clerk of the Circuit Court in Sangamon County and Public | ||||||
| 2 | Health Commissioner for the City of Springfield; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, World War II saw many changes to the Knox family; | ||||||
| 4 | Thomas was employed as CEO of Doyle Freight Lines in Saginaw, | ||||||
| 5 | Michigan when the Governor of Michigan appointed him to | ||||||
| 6 | coordinate the transportation of supplies to military bases in | ||||||
| 7 | several Midwest states; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, While Thomas performed his duties in Michigan, his | ||||||
| 9 | seven brothers enlisted in the military; three served in the | ||||||
| 10 | United States Navy, three in the United States Army, and one in | ||||||
| 11 | the United States Marine Corps; all seven returned home safely | ||||||
| 12 | with honorable discharges after the war; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, In 1951, J.P. Knox passed away; he received | ||||||
| 14 | eulogies from the editor of the Springfield State Register and | ||||||
| 15 | the Illinois State Journal; today, his descendants carry on the | ||||||
| 16 | name and great traditions of this proud Illinois family; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, The members of the J.P. "Cotton" Knox family serve | ||||||
| 18 | as models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the | ||||||
| 19 | people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
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| 20 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 21 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate May 31, | ||||||
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| 1 | 2016 as "J.P. 'Cotton' Knox Family Day" in the State of | ||||||
| 2 | Illinois in honor of their great contributions to the City of | ||||||
| 3 | Springfield, the State of Illinois, and the nation; and be it | ||||||
| 4 | further
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| 5 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 6 | presented to the J.P. "Cotton" Knox family as a symbol of our | ||||||
| 7 | respect and esteem.
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