Full Text of SR0070 95th General Assembly
SR0070 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SR0070 |
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LRB095 10984 KXB 31290 r |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of George Becker of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, | 4 |
| formerly of Granite City, who passed away on February 3, 2007; | 5 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, As a child, George Becker grew up near the Granite | 7 |
| City Steel plant; at the age of 15 he took a job at the plant on | 8 |
| an open hearth labor gang; and
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| WHEREAS, George Becker served with the United States Marine | 10 |
| Corps toward the end of World War II; he was drafted into the | 11 |
| United States Army during the Korean War due to a critical | 12 |
| shortage of light weapons infantry leaders; and
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| WHEREAS, George Becker's early work background also | 14 |
| included working as a crane operator at General Steel Castings | 15 |
| and as an assembler at the General Motors Fisher Body plant in | 16 |
| St. Louis; and
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| WHEREAS, On June 21, 1950 he married Jane Goforth; after | 18 |
| there wedding he began working at a Dow Chemical aluminum | 19 |
| rolling mill, becoming a shop steward for Local 4804; he later | 20 |
| became treasurer, then vice president, and in 1961 became the | 21 |
| president of the local union; and
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SR0070 |
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LRB095 10984 KXB 31290 r |
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| WHEREAS, George Becker was elected vice president of United | 2 |
| Steelworkers of America (USW) in 1985; after the retirement of | 3 |
| union president Lynn Williams; George Becker became the first | 4 |
| person since the founder of the USW, Phillip Murray, to be | 5 |
| elected president of the union without an election challenge or | 6 |
| the death of a predecessor; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, He was elected as the sixth international | 8 |
| president of the USW in 1993, won re-election in 1997, and | 9 |
| served in that position until his retirement in 2001; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, George Becker is survived by his wife, Jane; his | 11 |
| sons, George, Greg, and Matthew; his ten grandchildren; his | 12 |
| five great-grandchildren; and his sister; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 14 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 15 |
| his family and friends, the passing of George Becker; and be it | 16 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 |
| presented to the family of George Becker as a symbol of our | 19 |
| sympathy.
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