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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of William
4 Thompson Roberts, 82, of Alton, on November 7, 2005; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He was born in 1923 at Martins Ferry, Ohio, to
6 Byron and Ruth (Thompson) Roberts; and
 
7     WHEREAS, He graduated from the Lab School at the University
8 of Chicago, attended Indiana University, and studied at
9 Washington University in St. Louis; and
 
10     WHEREAS, He enlisted in the Marine Corps, served in the
11 Pacific during World War II, rose to the rank of Lieutenant,
12 and was involved in the surrender of the Japanese in Tokyo Bay
13 to end World War II; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In 1949, Mr. Roberts opened a small
15 DeSoto-Plymouth dealership in Wood River and designated the
16 dealership Roberts Motors; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Under his leadership, Roberts Motors expanded and
18 moved to the Alton area, where it became a
19 Chrysler-Plymouth-GMC truck dealership; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Mr. Roberts expanded in new directions when he
21 founded Roberts Leasing in 1961 and added to his business
22 holdings by his purchase of a Ford dealership in Wood River;
23 and
 
24     WHEREAS, Mr. Roberts served the Alton-Wood River Auto
25 Dealers Association as its president and he shared his business
26 acumen with the Madison-St. Clair Dealers Association as a
27 member of the board of directors; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, He served on the advisory committee of Secretary
2 of State Jim Edgar and the National Chrysler-Plymouth Council
3 representing the St. Louis District; and
 
4     WHEREAS, As one of the founding members of Pride Inc.,
5 Roberts was instrumental in establishing the driver's
6 education program at Alton High School; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Roberts was proud of his memberships in the River
8 Bend Growth Association, the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club, and the
9 Scottish Rite Masonic Order; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The memorial service for Mr. Roberts was held at
11 the First Presbyterian Church of Alton, where he was a trustee
12 and elder; and
 
13     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents and his
14 brother, Bobby; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The passing of William Thompson Roberts is felt by
16 all who knew and loved him, especially his wife, Sylvia Howard
17 Roberts; his daughter, Susan Elizabeth Roberts; his son, David
18 Roberts; his stepdaughter, Susan Trainor; and three
19 grandchildren, Kathryn Roberts, Jennifer Roberts, and Sarah
20 Trainor; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23 we mourn the passing of William Thompson Roberts and we extend
24 our sincere condolences to his family and friends; and be it
25 further
 
26     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
27 presented to his family as an expression of our sympathy.