HJ0138 LRB094 21177 DRH 59509 r

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Gudmund B. "Sonny" Jessen, Jr. of Hennepin died on
3 October 5, 2003; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was born on a farm in Putnam County,
5 north of Hennepin, on March 15, 1933; he attended the Nash and
6 Durley one room school house; he graduated from the Hennepin
7 Township High School in 1950; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was inducted for service in 1953 and
9 took basic training at Camp Roberts, California; he served in
10 intelligence at Heidelberg, Germany during the Korean War; he
11 was promoted to sergeant and discharged in February 1955; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen became precinct committeeman for the
13 Democratic Party in 1955 and held that position until his
14 death; he also was County Chairman of the Democratic Party for
15 16 years; he was presented a Certificate of Appreciation plaque
16 for Outstanding and Dedicated Service by the Illinois
17 Democratic County Chairman's Association on August 15, 2002;
18 and
 
19     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was elected Justice of the Peace of
20 Hennepin/Senachwine Townships in 1960; he was the youngest
21 person in the State of Illinois to serve in that office; he
22 held the position until it was terminated; he married 17
23 couples in the now Pulsifer House, which was where he resided
24 until the farmland was sold for the J&L Steel plant; and
 
25     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen farmed the Hennepin prairies all of his
26 life; he was a Marshall-Putnam Farm Bureau member; he served on
27 the M-P Oil Board and was chairman of the Executive Committee
28 of the M-P Extension Council; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was the past president of the Putnam

 

 

HJ0138 - 2 - LRB094 21177 DRH 59509 r

1 County National Farmers Organization; he was commissioner of
2 the Hennepin Drainage & Levy District until 2001; he was also a
3 member of Ducks Unlimited; he helped form the Hennepin
4 Sportsman Club and was club president; at one time he raised
5 turkeys and pheasants to be released around Putnam County; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was one of the original members of the
7 Hennepin Betterment Association; he served on the Water
8 District Board and Zoning Board for Hennepin; he was also a
9 lifetime member of the Putnam County Historical Society; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was commander of the Hennepin American
11 Legion; he also belonged to the Hennepin Independent Order of
12 Odd Fellows; he has held all offices in that Order; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Mr. Jessen was elected Hennepin Township Clerk in
14 the 1960s and still held that office at his death; he became
15 Putnam County Clerk and Recorder in September 1987 and held
16 that office until his retirement on November 30, 2002; he was a
17 member of the Illinois Township Clerks; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Interstate Route 180 includes a bridge that spans
19 the Illinois River at Hennepin; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
22 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Interstate Route 180 bridge
23 across the Illinois River at Hennepin be designated the Gudmund
24 "Sonny" Jessen Bridge; and be it further
 
25     RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is
26 requested to erect, at suitable locations, consistent with
27 State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
28 giving notice of the name; and be it further
 
29     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

 

 

HJ0138 - 3 - LRB094 21177 DRH 59509 r

1 presented to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
2 Transportation, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of
3 Transportation, and the family of Gudmund B. Jessen Jr.