HR0924 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0924 LRB094 19570 LCT 55698 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Emmett Ellsworth Kirby of Champaign, who passed away on January 21, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kirby was born on December 22, 1914, to William Ellsworth and Minnie Price Kirby; on October 6, 1957, he married Evelyn Dixon; and

WHEREAS, Emmett Kirby was raised on a farm in McLean County and did handy work on tractors, cars, mowers, radios, plumbing, and electricity; he graduated from Urbana High School in 1933 and went to work at the Rock Island Arsenal during World War II building recoil mechanisms for cannons; he later worked at the civil engineering machine shop at Talbott Hall at the University of Illinois, retiring in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kirby cast his first vote in 1936; a historian of Champaign, Ford, and McLean counties, he traced his family tradition of voting in the area to its pioneer beginnings, when Joshua Trickel served as an election judge in 1832; and

WHEREAS, Emmett Kirby was known for his knowledge, wit, and his devotion to the Republican party; he was fond of making toy donkeys and other joking references to the Democrats and giving them out to his GOP pals; he frequently wrote letters to the editor that appeared in the News-Gazette and would pop up regularly in election stories; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kirby was also fond of traveling; he traveled extensively in Ireland and England; and

WHEREAS, Emmett Kirby was preceded in death by his brother; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Emmett Ellsworth Kirby will be felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his wife, Evelyn; and his many other relatives and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with all who knew and loved him, the death of Emmett Ellsworth Kirby; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Emmett Ellsworth Kirby as an expression of our deepest sympathy.