HR1354 LRB094 20844 HSS 59166 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives have learned of the retirement of John K.
4 Thomson of Princeton, Illinois, a boiler house operator and
5 valuable and dedicated employee of the PolyOne Corporation,
6 Specialty Resins Group, after nearly 40 years of service; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson was born in Princeton, Illinois, on
8 June 30, 1944, to John Howard and Lucille Ethel Thomson; he is
9 the brother of Shirley Anne Olin; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson attended Princeton High School and
11 enlisted in the United States Navy on July 28, 1962; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson served his country bravely aboard the
13 USS Independence; in the fall of 1962, the Independence and her
14 sailors participated in the United States naval blockade of
15 Cuba in what is known as the "Cuban Missile Crisis", a major
16 confrontation between the United States and the Union of Soviet
17 Socialist Republics (USSR) over Soviet-supplied missile
18 installations in Cuba, regarded by many as the world's closest
19 approach to total nuclear war; he later served with the
20 Independence in the South China Sea during the Vietnam War; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The Independence and her embarked Air Wing 7
22 received the award of the Navy Unit Commendation for
23 exceptionally meritorious service from June 5 to November 21,
24 1965; they participated in the first major series of
25 coordinated strikes against vital enemy supply lines north of
26 the Hanoi-Haiphong complex, their aircraft successfully
27 evading the first massive surface-to-air missile barrage in
28 aviation history while hitting assigned targets, and
29 executing, with daring and precision, the first successful
30 attack on an enemy surface-to-air missile installation; the
31 carrier launched more than 7,000 sorties in sustaining an

 

 

HR1354 - 2 - LRB094 20844 HSS 59166 r

1 exceptional pace of day and night strike operations against
2 military and logistic supply facilities in North Vietnam; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson was honorably discharged from the
4 United States Navy in August of 1966; he married Carol Ann
5 Walsh on May 7, 1966; he is the father of Paula Ann Lough,
6 James Patrick Thomson, and Michael Shawn Thomson, and the
7 grandfather of Trevor James Thomson, Lauren Elizabeth Thomson,
8 Ellie McKeefery Thomson, Nicholas Hunter Lough, Matthew John
9 Thomson, and Nathan Forrester Lough; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson married Sandra Lynn Hoover on
11 September 11, 1987; they enjoy traveling, home improvement
12 projects, spending time with their many children and
13 grandchildren, and the company of their dog, Max; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson is a railroad enthusiast; his father,
15 John Howard Thomson, worked for many years for the Chicago,
16 Burlington, and Quincy Railroad as a telegraph operator, and
17 his grandfather, Abraham Lincoln Thomson, also worked as a
18 railroad telegraph operator and was awarded a gold watch from
19 the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad for heroic action taken to
20 save hundreds of lives during a tragic brush fire south of
21 Hinckley, Minnesota, on September 1, 1894; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomson is an avid reader, student of current
23 affairs, and a man of many hobbies, including internet
24 research, beer and wine making, ham radio, and gardening; and
 
25     WHEREAS, His close friends and family members are
26 justifiably proud of his many accomplishments, service to his
27 country, and personal integrity; therefore, be it
 
28     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
29 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
30 we congratulate John K. Thomson on his retirement; and be it

 

 

HR1354 - 3 - LRB094 20844 HSS 59166 r

1 further
 
2     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3 presented to Mr. Thomson as an expression of our extreme
4 respect and esteem.