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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to honor the life and legacy of the
4 late United States Senator Paul Simon on the occasion of the
5 80th year of his birth in November of 2008; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Paul Simon was born on November 28, 1928 in
7 Eugene, Oregon; at the age of nineteen, he moved to Troy and
8 purchased the "Troy Call" newspaper, becoming the youngest
9 newspaper editor/publisher in the nation; building on his
10 success, he built a chain of fourteen weekly newspapers; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Paul Simon served the people of the State of
12 Illinois with pride and distinction in the General Assembly as
13 a State Representative from 1955 to 1962 and as a State Senator
14 from 1963 to 1968; during his tenure, he gained national
15 recognition and respect as both a forthright journalist and as
16 an "independent" elected State official; and
 
17     WHEREAS, In 1968, Paul Simon was elected to serve as the
18 39th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois with Republican Governor
19 Richard B. Ogilvie; the pair's bipartisan administration
20 produced the State's first income tax and paved the way for the
21 State's fourth constitutional convention, which created the
22 fourth and current constitution; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, In 1974, Paul Simon ran for the open seat in the
2 Illinois 24th Congressional District, winning the election; he
3 went on to serve the heart of Southern Illinois in the United
4 States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1985; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In 1984, Paul Simon won the United States Senate
6 seat, where he vigorously campaigned to save the National
7 Direct Student Loan Program; he was also well known for working
8 across party lines, joining Senator Orrin Hatch in co-authoring
9 the Balanced Budget Amendment in 1996; he served in the United
10 States Senate until 1997; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In 1988, Paul Simon decided to run for the office
12 of United States President; Simon won the Illinois State
13 primary on the top of the ticket; however, he suspended his
14 campaign later that year, without any regrets, claiming the
15 race had been an "exhilarating experience" in getting to know
16 our nation better; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Paul Simon was the author or co-author of some 20
18 books, with topics ranging from important issues such as global
19 water resource concerns to his last work, titled "52 Simple
20 Ways To Make A Difference", which was published after his
21 death; his last book simply stated his long held belief that
22 "ordinary people doing small things can make a big difference";

 

 

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1 and
 
2     WHEREAS, Paul Simon's honesty, integrity, and compassion
3 serve as models of living for the citizens and public servants
4 of this State, the nation, and the world at large; therefore,
5 be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8 honor the life and legacy of the late United States Senator
9 Paul Simon on the occasion of the 80th year of his birth; and
10 be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to the U.S. Senator Paul Simon Museum in Troy as a
13 symbol of our esteem and respect for this great public servant.