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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Jeffrey S. Hawkinson of Peoria, who
4 passed away on February 26, 2010; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He was born in Galesburg on Aug. 31, 1946, the son
6 of Jack and Marcia (Nelson) Hawkinson; he married Cathi Cheney
7 Cornish in Chicago on May 7, 1987; after graduating from
8 Galesburg High School in 1964, Jeff began his long list of
9 "making a difference"; and
 
10     WHEREAS, As president of the Student Senate at Bradley
11 University, Jeff marched with NAACP President John Gwynn in
12 support of civil rights from Bradley to Peoria's City Hall in
13 1967 in protest over a city ordinance regarding off-campus
14 housing for black students; the ordinance was amended; he also
15 was station and program manager for campus radio station WRBU,
16 president of Pi Kappa Delta, an honorary speech society,
17 associate judge of the campus supreme court, junior class
18 student senate, and a varsity debater; and
 
19     WHEREAS, He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bradley
20 University in 1968, where he also received his Master's in
21 Communications in 1971; his first job out of college was at
22 WMBD-AM; from there he went on to WXCL-AM as a newscaster; his

 

 

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1 radio career included being the only reporter to talk to Eddie
2 Blakes on the scene of the hostage and shooting incident at St.
3 Cecilia Grade School in 1973, and he would later testify at his
4 trial; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In 1973, Jeff taught broadcast news at Illinois
6 State University, where he founded the nationally recognized
7 student news program, TV-10; at its 30th anniversary in 2004,
8 Illinois State University honored Jeff with its TV-10 Founders
9 Award, which annually recognizes the top TV-10 senior; from
10 1975 to 1986, "Hawk" held positions as assignment editor, news
11 director, and broadcast manager at WEEK-TV; and
 
12     WHEREAS, From 1978 to 2002, Jeff was the pronouncer of the
13 televised Scripps Spelling Bee; from 1986 to 2002, he was
14 national spokesperson, annual report coordinator, and anchor
15 of "Background News" at Caterpillar Inc.; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Jeff and Cathi were honored with the United Way's
17 Hoot Gibson Award for volunteer efforts; it was the first time
18 the award had been given to a couple; Jeff also was presented
19 with the Salvation Army's William Booth Award for Community
20 Service in 2005; the award is the highest civilian award given
21 by the Salvation Army; and
 
22     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Jeffrey Hawkinson is survived by his wife, Cathi;
2 his sons, Matt (Kristen) Hawkinson and Brett (Kathy) Cornish;
3 his daughters, Julie (Andy) McClure and Brigit (Tim) Grunow;
4 his four adorable grandchildren, Addison and Devan McClure and
5 Bailey and Beau Grunow; and his brothers, Chris (Linda)
6 Hawkinson and Joel (Sandy) Hawkinson; therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
8 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
9 his family and friends, the passing of Jeffrey Hawkinson; and
10 be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to the family of Jeffrey Hawkinson as a symbol of our
13 sincere sympathy.