SR0252 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0252 LRB095 12509 GRL 37710 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Jesse Loraine Wade of Scottsdale, Arizona, who passed away on June 9, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Wade was born on April 4, 1913, in Valley City; he was the middle son of Jesse Walter and Anna Gregory Wade; he married Margery M. Sawyer on May 19, 1935; in 1949, they had one daughter, Susan; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Wade graduated from Griggsville High School, where he was an outstanding athlete, particularly in basketball; he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for one year; in 1932, he began his business career with 150 dollars, when he opened a grocery store in Griggsville during the peak of the Great Depression; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Wade enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943; he completed his basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and was deployed to England in early 1944; he was part of the second advancement to France, landing on the beaches of Normandy on June 7, 1944; he served as a communications specialist with the Third Army, traveling with the second French Armored Division on the eastern march across France, being in Paris on the day it was liberated; after reaching Germany, he was wounded in action, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart; he was returned to the United States for medical treatment on the day Germany surrendered; and

WHEREAS, In 1962, Jesse Wade, with the help of the Trio Manufacturing Company, pioneered the aluminum martin housing industry; by 1965, Griggsville proclaimed itself the Purple Martin Capital of the Nation and erected the "Empire State Building of the Bird World"; soon after, he appeared on the cover of Look Magazine and published his first book, "What You Should Know About the Purple Martin"; in 1966, he formed the Griggsville Wild Bird Society and started publishing the Purple Martin Capital News, which still has international membership and distribution; and

WHEREAS, In 1968, Jesse Wade was responsible for the first commissioned painting of the Purple Martin since John James Audubon in the mid 1840s; this became the first of a series of 50 North American Bird Species which became the foundation for the Governor's State Bird Print program; and

WHEREAS, During the 1970s and 1980s, he commissioned other artists to paint series of North American mammals, flowers and sporting dogs; he renamed the company Nature House Inc.; he amassed an enormous collection of antique wildlife art and founded two museums; he gained national notoriety when he rode across the Mississippi River on the top of Engine 3007 from Quinsippi Island to Quincy; he was written up by countless publications in the U.S., appearing twice on the front page of The Wall Street Journal; he wrote his second book, "Attracting Purple Martins," in 1987; and

WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Jesse Wade began his favorite and final endeavor; with the help of his daughter and son-in-law, he purchased and developed Perry Springs, a 1200-acre wildlife refuge in the hills north of Griggsville, and Wade Marsh, an 80-acre wetlands just north of his birthplace on the Illinois River; he was an avid duck hunter and cherished his times communing with nature; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Wade was one of the founders of AMPS, a coalition of businessmen and community leaders who lobbied for the completion of Interstate 72 from Springfield to Quincy; he was a member of American Legion Post 213 and ANSAR Shrine; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Wade was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Wade was survived by his daughter; his son-in-law, Tom Barr; his nephews, Courtney (JoEllen) Wade, Dr. Mark (Laurie) Wade, and Dr. Michael Wade; his great-nephews and great-niece; and his devoted long-term caretaker, Mimi Hu; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Jesse L. Wade; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Jesse L. Wade as an expression of our sympathy.