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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to pay tribute to and acknowledge former
4U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon's contributions to his hometown of
5Belleville, the State of Illinois, and the nation and
6congratulate him for having the Senator Alan J. Dixon Student
7Center at Lindenwood University-Belleville named after him;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Lindenwood University-Belleville will honor Alan
10J. Dixon by naming its student center the Senator Alan J. Dixon
11Student Center; we congratulate him for this honor and his
12distinguished service to the State of Illinois; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center will
14provide Lindenwood University-Belleville students with a state
15of the art research library, an ergonomically-designed
16computer lab, a dining hall, a contemporary student lounge, and
17a spirit shop; as a tribute to Senator Dixon, the library will
18also showcase a museum of his political accomplishments; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was born and raised in Belleville;
20he graduated from Belleville Township High School, now the
21Lindenwood University-Belleville campus; he began his 43-year
22political career in law school, when he was elected to serve as

 

 

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1Belleville Police Magistrate; at the age of 22, he was elected
2one of the youngest legislators ever elected to serve in the
3Illinois House of Representatives; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon rose through the ranks of State
5government as an Illinois State Representative for 12 years,
6where he was an advocate for higher education and co-sponsored
7legislation which produced Illinois' community college system;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon served in the Illinois State Senate
10for eight years, rising to Assistant Democratic Leader; he was
11elected to serve as Illinois State Treasurer in 1970; from 1977
12to 1981, he served as Illinois Secretary of State, an office he
13won by a margin of 1.3 million votes; his 1.5 million
14re-election majority marked the only time a candidate from
15either political party ever carried all 102 Illinois counties
16in an election, including all 30 townships in suburban Cook
17County and all 50 wards in the City of Chicago; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was well known as a gregarious
19politician and was revered as "Al the Pal" among friends,
20colleagues, and news pundits; his staff wore "I'm Al's Pal"
21campaign buttons in the 1980 campaign for the United States
22Senate; he was elected to the United States Senate that year;
23and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon won his first election to the United
2States Senate by more than 600,000 votes; he won his
3re-election to the United States Senate in 1986 by more than
4950,000 votes; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1988 and again in 1990, Alan J. Dixon was
6unanimously selected by his party colleagues to serve as the
7chief deputy whip of the United States Senate, the number three
8leadership post; Senator Dixon enjoyed an unbroken string of 29
9election victories; and
 
10    WHEREAS, At the request of President Bill Clinton, Alan J.
11Dixon served as chairman of the Defense Base Closure and
12Realignment Commission in 1994 and 1995, a job that called for
13both national defense knowledge and good political ties with
14Democrats and Republicans; as a former chairman of an important
15Senate Armed Services Subcommittee, he had the defense
16knowledge required for the job; on the second requirement of
17good ties with both parties, Democrats and Republicans have
18always mutually respected Senator Dixon; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon is presently a partner with the St.
20Louis, Missouri based law firm, Bryan Cave, LLP, where he
21serves corporate and government clients; he is married to Joan
22Fox Dixon and has three children, Stephanie, Jeffrey, and

 

 

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1Elizabeth, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren;
2therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
5we congratulate former United States Senator Alan J. Dixon on
6the occasion of having the Senator Alan J. Dixon Student Center
7at Lindenwood University-Belleville named after him and
8recognize and thank him for his innumerable achievements and
9efforts on behalf of his hometown of Belleville; and be it
10further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to Alan J. Dixon as an expression of our utmost
13respect and esteem.