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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of William Penn Nelson of Champaign, who
4passed away on May 1, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Penn Nelson was born to Lloyd William and Evelyn
6Penn Nelson on November 26, 1935; he was raised with his
7sister, Betty Lloyd Nelson (Bauer) in Edina, Minnesota, where
8he remained through college; he married Barbara Jean Joffe at
9his parents' home on August 3, 1962; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Penn Nelson worked for Hart Schaffner & Marx; he
11then transferred to work in the custom-tailored clothing
12business in Champaign-Urbana; during his 18 years in the
13clothing business, he had the task of measuring the University
14of Illinois basketball team for custom-tailored blazers during
15the Harv Schmidt era; he was also the supplier of the original
16double-knit orange blazer for then-Illinois basketball coach
17Bob Blackman; after a series of careers, including owning Ye
18Olde Ice Cream Shoppe and other retail and sales jobs, he was
19approached and accepted the opportunity to open a Norrell, now
20Spherion, staffing franchise in 1981; under his leadership,
21Norrell earned many awards from the corporate office as well as
22the local community, including the Chamber of Commerce Small
23Business of the Year in 1996; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Penn Nelson was a committed volunteer and
2philanthropist in Champaign-Urbana, including his most recent
3participation as a past president and Paul Harris Fellow of C-U
4Sunrise Rotary, a member of the Foundation Board for the Don
5Moyer Boys & Girls Club, where he was also a longtime board
6member, a member of the Champaign Parks Foundation Board, the
7United Way Campaign Chairman in 2002, and as a lifetime member
8of the Optimist Club and Phi Gamma Delta; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Penn Nelson was an avid fan of the Illini and
10attended many sporting events at the University of Illinois;
11his favorite sport was golf, and he enjoyed teaching his
12daughters and grandchildren about the sport and playing with
13his wife and family at the Urbana Golf and Country Club; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Penn Nelson is survived by his wife, Barb; his
15children, Michele (Rob) Baker and Cindy (Mike) Somers; his
16grandchildren, Robby, Patrick, Justin, Chelsea, and Lainey;
17his sister, Betty Bauer; and his nephews, Mark, Chris, and
18Bruce Bauer; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
21William Penn Nelson and extend our sincere condolences to his
22family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of Penn Nelson as an expression of our
4deepest sympathy.