Full Text of SR0798 101st General Assembly
SR0798 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of George Jacob Lewis of Quincy, who passed | 4 | | away on July 14, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis was born in Rushville to Dana Mendel | 6 | | and Gladys Elizabeth Hersman Lewis on August 17, 1930; he was | 7 | | raised working on his family's farm in Hersman, which was named | 8 | | after his great-grandfather Jacob Hersman, and graduated from | 9 | | Brown County High School in Mount Sterling in 1948; in high | 10 | | school, he had many activities and interests, including | 11 | | basketball and working on the school newspaper; he was | 12 | | president of his class and president of the science club; he | 13 | | was a county and state Outstanding 4-H Club member and a | 14 | | delegate to the National 4-H Club Congress; he won 15 local, | 15 | | district, and state IHSA public speaking contests; he was | 16 | | active with Future Farmers of America (FFA), serving as | 17 | | chairman on the state champion FFA Parliamentary Procedure | 18 | | Team; he won the national/regional FFA public speaking contest | 19 | | and placed fourth in the national FFA public speaking finals; | 20 | | he was the president of the local chapter of FFA, as well as | 21 | | the state FFA president; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, After high school, George Lewis stayed home on the | 23 | | farm and was awarded his American Farmer Degree, an FFA |
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| 1 | | distinction; he was a junior leader of the local 4-H club and | 2 | | was elected as the national president of FFA; as president, he | 3 | | assisted with organizing the FFA of Japan, and he toured the | 4 | | U.S., fulfilling the extensive duties of a national officer; he | 5 | | visited the White House to meet with President Harry Truman; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In 1951, George Lewis was active in The Campaign | 8 | | Among Youth For Support of International Christian University | 9 | | in Japan; he won the North American essay contest and was | 10 | | selected as one of two youth from North America to represent | 11 | | this group on a trip to Japan; he appeared before the emperor | 12 | | of Japan and attended the opening of the new university near | 13 | | Tokyo; he married Joan Garrison on June 19, 1951, and they used | 14 | | the trip to Japan as a honeymoon; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis was moderator of the local youth | 16 | | organization, Westminster Fellowship; he was elected moderator | 17 | | of the Presbytery in the state and the national Westminster | 18 | | Fellowship; he was president of the state Interdenominational | 19 | | Christian Youth Organization (ICYO), delegate to the world | 20 | | conference of the ICYO in Toronto, Canada, and executive | 21 | | director of the state ICYO; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, As a student at the University of Illinois, George | 23 | | Lewis was elected to the board of directors of the university |
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| 1 | | YMCA; he graduated with high honors and a Bachelor of Science | 2 | | in Agricultural Science; he was an honor student in the College | 3 | | of Law and was designated as a Fulbright Scholar to conduct | 4 | | legal research and study law for a year at the University of | 5 | | London; he earned a certificate of completion from the | 6 | | Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, and, | 7 | | along with Joan, later co-authored a book detailing their | 8 | | adventure, titled Rolling in the Isles; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Upon his return from England, George Lewis | 10 | | reported for active duty with the United States Air Force, | 11 | | where he "fought the Battle of Topeka" (as he called it) as a | 12 | | procurement officer; he took night classes at the Washburn | 13 | | University Law School; he was a member of the Kansas Bar | 14 | | Journal Review Board and authored an article in the Kansas Bar | 15 | | Journal on Law and Electronics; after two years, he was | 16 | | honorably discharged as a captain; he earned a J.D. from the | 17 | | College of Law at the University of Illinois; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1958, George Lewis moved his family to Quincy | 19 | | and commenced practicing law, which he did successfully for 57 | 20 | | years; he was the senior partner in his law firm, which once | 21 | | had offices in Quincy, Mount Sterling, and Rushville; he served | 22 | | as vice president of the Adams County Bar Association, was a | 23 | | member of the Illinois and American Bar Associations, and | 24 | | served as chairman of the Illinois State Bar Association |
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| 1 | | Committee for Legal Research by Electronics; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, In 1970, George Lewis was elected as a delegate to | 3 | | the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention; he served as | 4 | | chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Convention and | 5 | | contributed to the re-writing of the Illinois Constitution; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, In 1980, George ran for Illinois State Senate, | 7 | | falling short against the 48th District incumbent, Mary Lou | 8 | | Kent; many now claim that his loss was Quincy's win, due to the | 9 | | continued contributions he made by remaining a local fixture; | 10 | | and | 11 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis was president of the Adams County | 12 | | Heart Association and a member of the board of directors of the | 13 | | Good Samaritan Home; he was one of five who organized the first | 14 | | workshop and social center for disabled adults in Adams County | 15 | | and served as president of the board of directors; he provided | 16 | | volunteer service as the attorney for Home Ownership Assistance | 17 | | of Quincy, Inc.; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis was a member of the Adams County | 19 | | Mental Health Board, the Advisory Council of the Quincy High | 20 | | School Vocational Agricultural Department, the board of | 21 | | directors of the Adams County Family Service Agency, Quincy | 22 | | Noon Optimists, Rotary East, and the board of directors of the |
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| 1 | | Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County; he was a member | 2 | | of the board of directors and on the executive committee of the | 3 | | Great River Economic Development Foundation; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis served seven years as a member of | 5 | | Quincy's Equal Opportunity Commission and volunteered in his | 6 | | local mentoring program for fifth- and sixth-graders; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis had been a member and elder of the | 8 | | First United Presbyterian Church of Quincy and was most | 9 | | recently a member of the Ellington Presbyterian Church; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis enjoyed numerous activities, | 11 | | including bridge clubs, dominoes, photography, gardening, | 12 | | landscaping, antiques, spending time with family and friends, | 13 | | and exploring numerous countries throughout the world's seven | 14 | | continents; he volunteered to help install shallow wells in | 15 | | Malawi, Africa with the Marion Medical Mission; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis was preceded in death by his wife of | 17 | | almost 66 years, Joan Garrison Lewis; his parents; his | 18 | | daughter, Ronda Kay Lewis; his brother, John Lewis; his | 19 | | brothers-in-law, John Henderson, Keith Delap, and Dave Ford; | 20 | | and his sister-in-law, Katherine "Kay" Rose Governale Lewis; | 21 | | and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, George Lewis is survived by his children, Karen | 2 | | (Stephen) Forte, Sheri (Mike) Jackson, and Gary (Debby Davis) | 3 | | Lewis; his grandchildren, Paul (Jennifer) Forte, Michael | 4 | | (Stephanie Wuerth) Forte, Jesse Jackson, and Mikki Jackson; | 5 | | many step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; his | 6 | | brothers and sisters, Jean Delap, Ruth Henderson, Dana (Anita) | 7 | | Lewis, Dick (Cheri Lee) Lewis, Charles (Marney) Lewis, Anne | 8 | | Ford, and Mary (Jack) Garland; numerous cousins; and many | 9 | | nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 12 | | George Jacob Lewis and extend our sincere condolences to his | 13 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 14 | | further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 | | presented to the family of George Lewis as an expression of our | 17 | | deepest sympathy.
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