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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Susan Lois Howarth Eastman of Alton, who
4passed away on March 13, 2016; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was born in Harvey to former
6Springfield Mayor Nelson O. Howarth and Mary W. Howarth on
7March 22, 1936; she grew up in Springfield; she graduated from
8Springfield High School in 1953 and earned a Bachelor of
9Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in
101957, where she sang in the women's glee club, was elected to
11honor councils, served on more than a dozen campus boards and
12committees, and was Vice-President of Kappa Kappa Gamma
13sorority; after beginning a family, she went back to school,
14earning a Master of Arts in History from Southern Illinois
15University Edwardsville in 1984 and a Master of Arts in English
16from SIUE in 1992; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was a highly respected and much
18beloved member of Alton Community Unit School District No. 11,
19where she taught high school history and English for 25 years;
20she was a knowledgeable local historian with an ardent interest
21in the Mississippi River; she authored "River Bend, An Area
22that Knows No Panics" (1981) and "Federal Promotion of
23Commercial Barging on the Inland Waterways: 1920-1940" (1984);

 

 

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1she served as a river historian and correspondent-at-large for
2"The Waterways Journal", a weekly publication for the inland
3waterway transportation industry, whose Annual Review she
4wrote for many years; she was a member of the Alton Museum of
5History and Art in the 1970s; she organized and supervised the
6establishment of the River Room, and for many years she
7maintained exhibits for the museum at Melvin Price Locks & Dam
8No. 26; her enthusiasm for the river led her to memberships in
9the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen and the Upper
10Mississippi River Buffs; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was an active community volunteer in
12Alton for many decades; she led the application of the Alton
13Junior Service League to become the Junior League of Greater
14Alton, and as a member of the JLGA, she helped to initiate and
15develop the Sam Vadalabene Great River Road Bike Trail; she
16received the JLGA's Thayer Award for outstanding service to the
17league and the community; she was also a member of the women's
18philanthropic organization P.E.O.; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Susan Eastman volunteered with the Boy Scouts of
20America, athletics, and classroom settings; she was a tireless
21social hostess and admirable craftsperson and was well-known
22for her Christmas ornaments and decorations made from pinecones
23and other natural materials; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Susan Eastman was preceded in death by her
2parents; her parents-in-law, Charles Dana Eastman Sr. and
3Virginia Corbett Eastman; and her sister, Mary Jo Howarth
4Noonan; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Susan Eastman is survived by her husband, Charles
6Dana Eastman, Jr.; her daughter, Marynell Eastman; her sons,
7Charles Dana (Michele) Eastman III and David William Eastman
8(Michelle Mallo); her sister-in-law, Nina Eastman Fay and her
9family; her brothers, William Howarth and David Howarth; and
10her sister Lydia Howarth; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
13Susan Lois Howarth Eastman, and extend our sincere condolences
14to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be
15it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of Susan Eastman as an expression of
18our deepest sympathy.