SR0105 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0105 LRB099 07372 MST 27486 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Peter A. "Tony" Oakley of Quincy, who passed away on January 23, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Growing up, Peter Oakley was a newspaper carrier for the Quincy Herald-Whig, occasionally doing work in other departments; he worked several summers during high school and college for WGEM radio and television; he was a 1952 graduate of Quincy High School and graduated in 1956 from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, with a degree in English; he served in the United States Army from 1957 through July of 1959, stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia; he served in the Army Reserve from 1959 to 1963; and

WHEREAS, Peter Oakley joined the Herald-Whig as a full-time employee in October of 1959 in the circulation department; he served as city circulation manager from October of 1964 through August of 1966, becoming the newspaper's circulation manager in 1965, a position he held until 1995; during that time, he hired the first African-American and the first female carriers for the newspaper; in 1971, he started the Outstanding Carrier Banquet; in 1995, he became the Herald-Whig's community relations director, a position he held until 2008; he was the co-founder and long-time coordinator of the newspaper's Good News of Christmas campaign, which recently celebrated its 26th year of helping area families in need during the holidays; he was an active member in the International Circulation Managers Association, the Central States Circulation Managers Association, and the Association of Illinois Circulation Managers; he served as President of the Central States Circulation Managers Association from 1988 to 1990 and was awarded the group's President's Trophy in 1992 for his contributions toward the betterment of the profession; he was also a member of the Newspaper Association of America; he played a prominent role in Quincy Newspapers, Inc. (QNI), which won the 1991 Illinois Governor's Hometown Award for the Good News of Christmas campaign and the 1999 Illinois Governor's Award for the Arts; he was a member of the Quincy Newspapers, Inc. Board of Directors from 1983 to 2007 and a member of the Board of Directors of the Quincy Broadcasting Company from 1969 to 2007; he was Secretary for the Board of Directors for QNI and the Oakley-Lindsay Foundation from 2001 until his passing; and

WHEREAS, Peter Oakley also took the lead in various community organizations; he served on the board and was either a past President or Chairman of the Quincy Community Theatre, the Progressive Playhouse, the Quincy Society of Fine Arts, the Washington Theater Commission, the John Wood Community College Foundation Board of Trustees, the Noon Kiwanis Club of Quincy, and the Community Counseling Center (now known as Transitions of Western Illinois); he also served on the boards for the Quincy Art Center, the Friends of Dr. Richard Eells House, the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County, the United Way Unmet Needs Committee, the Quincy Notre Dame Foundation, the Westminster Sigma Chi Fraternity Association, Junior Achievement, the Quincy Museum, the Quincy Arts Corridor Committee, and the St. Mary Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees; and

WHEREAS, Peter Oakley served as a volunteer for the United Way and was a division chairman; in 1980, he was appointed by the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission to the first Human Rights Authority, which covered an 18-county region in West-Central Illinois; he volunteered as a child-family mentor in the Quincy Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, Peter Oakley and his wife, Signe, were co-founders of the Adams County Arc, a group that provides support to parents and families of those with developmental disabilities; they were honorary chairpersons of the D.A. Weibring pro-am golf tournament in 1992 and were longtime volunteers for the event, which benefited the Arc for 25 years; Peter Oakley was the group's first President, and he received a number of honors for his community involvement; the Oakleys were honored with the Enid Ireland Award from the Quincy Community Theatre in 1990; they were recipients of the Transitions of Western Illinois Humanitarian Award in 1999, and, in 2003, they were recipients of the Joe Bonansinga Community Service Award from the United Way of Adams County; the Oakleys were honored with the Sister Theresa Marie Braun Service Award from Quincy Catholic Charities in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Peter Oakley was honored by Westminster College with its Alumni Achievement Award in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Peter Oakley is survived by his wife of 50 years, Signe; his sons, Peter A. Oakley, II and his wife, Judy, and Harold B. "Hal" Oakley and his wife, Kathy, and their children, Bennett W. Oakley, Abigail L. Oakley, and Allen B. Oakley; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Peter A. "Tony" Oakley, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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