Full Text of SR0382 93rd General Assembly
SR0382 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois | 3 |
| were saddened to learn of the death of Ursula Kathryn Beck of | 4 |
| Decatur on January 5, 2004; and
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| WHEREAS, Ursula was born February 9, 1932, in Decatur, the | 6 |
| daughter of Frank and Gertrude (Schlemm) Young; she was a | 7 |
| graduate of St. Teresa High School, class of 1950; and
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| WHEREAS, She was a professional dancer with the Fred Hensy | 9 |
| Dance Studio and was an outstanding tap dancer; as a youth, | 10 |
| Ursula was the seven-time Decatur Recreation Department Girls | 11 |
| Junior Tennis Champion; as an adult, she was the Millikin | 12 |
| University women's tennis coach; she still holds the highest | 13 |
| lifetime winning percentage of any women's tennis coach at | 14 |
| Millikin University; and
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| WHEREAS, She married Darrell Wayne Beck on November 14, | 16 |
| 1953; together, they had seven children, Mark, Matthew, Angela, | 17 |
| Amelia, Daniel, Samuel, and Margaret; and
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| WHEREAS, Mrs. Beck managed Arthur Murray Dance Studios in | 19 |
| Decatur and Bloomington; she choreographed and directed five | 20 |
| Mental Health Cotillions and directed five annual spring | 21 |
| musicals for St. Teresa High School; she was the play-by-play | 22 |
| spotter for St. Teresa High School Football from 1967 to 1999; | 23 |
| she was also a certified high school girl's volleyball referee | 24 |
| for many years; and
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| WHEREAS, She was a lifetime member of St. James Catholic | 26 |
| Church, active in the Adult Choir, the home and school | 27 |
| association, and she was very active in the local, state, and | 28 |
| worldwide Knights of Columbus; Mrs. Beck had nine audiences | 29 |
| with Pope John Paul II and was a member of the Knight | 30 |
| Commander-Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem; |
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| The Holy Sepulcher is the highest-ranking honor that can be | 2 |
| bestowed on a layperson in the Catholic Church; she met Mother | 3 |
| Teresa and volunteered in her soup kitchen in Rome; and
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| WHEREAS, Mrs. Beck served as a board member with the | 5 |
| American Red Cross and Webster Cantrell Hall; she volunteered | 6 |
| with Central Illinois Special Olympics, the Good Samaritan Inn, | 7 |
| the Central Illinois Prison ministries, and as a St. Teresa | 8 |
| High School cheerleader advisor; and
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| WHEREAS, Together, Mr. and Mrs. Beck contributed to many | 10 |
| area capital campaign and development projects, including: St. | 11 |
| James Catholic Church, the Springfield Catholic Diocese in | 12 |
| Illinois, St. Teresa High School, Catholic Charities, St. | 13 |
| Mary's Hospital Foundation, Millikin University, Eastern | 14 |
| Illinois University Newman Center, Richland Community College, | 15 |
| Decatur Park District Foundation, Decatur Community Central | 16 |
| Park Water Fountain, Kemmerer Village, the Easter Seal Society | 17 |
| of Central Illinois, the YMCA/YWCA, Korean War Veterans, | 18 |
| SummerStart, and WILL; and
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| WHEREAS, The couple was the sole financial sponsor for five | 20 |
| years of the Decatur Recreation Department Park Summer Staff | 21 |
| Singers and sponsors of the USTA Ursula K. Beck Pro Tennis | 22 |
| Tournament held annually at Fairview Park; in addition, they | 23 |
| fund academic scholarships at Millikin University, Richland | 24 |
| Community College, and St. Teresa High School; and
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| WHEREAS, For their extraordinary generosity, two Illinois | 26 |
| facilities were named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Beck, the | 27 |
| Darrell and Ursula Beck Special Olympic Training Facility in | 28 |
| Bloomington and the Ursula Beck Tennis Pro Shop at Fairview | 29 |
| Park in Decatur; and
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| WHEREAS, As a couple, Ursula and Darrell Beck were also | 31 |
| honored as the Illinois State Knights of Columbus Council |
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| Family of the Year and the Sertoma International Family of the | 2 |
| Year; in addition, they received membership in the Millikin | 3 |
| University 2001 Medallion Society, the Easter Seals Seal of | 4 |
| Tribute designation, and the Metro Decatur Chamber of Commerce | 5 |
| Civic Leadership Award; and
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| WHEREAS, Mrs. Beck always had compassion for the people in | 7 |
| her life; she was a tremendous wife, mother, and friend to all; | 8 |
| she was perpetually positive and inspired everyone around her | 9 |
| to achieve and be the very best that they could be; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, The passing of Ursula Kathryn Beck will be deeply | 11 |
| felt by many, especially her sisters, Patricia Galligan and | 12 |
| Norma Robinson (Harry); her sons, Mark S (Dominique), Matthew | 13 |
| A. (Natalie), Daniel Jr. (Tunde), and Samuel F. (Jennifer); her | 14 |
| daughters, Angela C., Amelia M. Bliefnick (Raymond), and | 15 |
| Margaret U. Beck Pugh (Bradley); her grandchildren, Christine, | 16 |
| Stephanie, and Emily Beck; Ted, Tim, and Tom Bliefnick; Estelle | 17 |
| and Lillian Beck; August and Sutton Beck; and Lauryn and Gracey | 18 |
| Pugh; and many nieces and nephews; and
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| WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her parents; and her | 20 |
| sisters, Mary Frances Stowell, Bea McManus, and Gay Young; | 21 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL | 23 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 24 |
| Ursula Kathryn Beck along with all who knew and loved her and | 25 |
| extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends; and | 26 |
| be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 28 |
| presented to the family of Ursula Kathryn Beck as an expression | 29 |
| of our deepest sympathy.
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