Full Text of SR1023 102nd General Assembly
SR1023 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of James "Jim" G. Turpin, Voice of the | 4 | | Illini from 1960-2002 and longtime host of the WDWS Penny for | 5 | | Your Thoughts radio call-in show, who passed away on April 10, | 6 | | 2022; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin was born to Burl and Martha Turpin in | 8 | | Olney on February 26, 1932; he graduated from East Richland | 9 | | High School in 1950; he married Louise Van Matre on August 16, | 10 | | 1952; in 1953, he was drafted and worked in radio operations | 11 | | for the Armed Forces Radio and Television division in South | 12 | | Korea and Japan; he finished his radio-televison journalism | 13 | | degree at the University of Illinois in 1961; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, After the war, Jim Turpin worked for WDWS, | 15 | | describing prep action and University of Illinois football and | 16 | | basketball games; he also did play-by-play for WILL in Urbana; | 17 | | in 1962, he also started working at WTAX in Springfield; | 18 | | during his time in Springfield, he also worked as public | 19 | | affairs director for the Illinois Oil Council, president of | 20 | | S.P. Wright Advertising Agency, public affairs director for | 21 | | the Illinois Council for Branch Banking, and vice president | 22 | | for public affairs at Sangamon State University; he became | 23 | | vice president and general manager of WDWS/WHMS radio back in |
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| 1 | | Champaign for a number of years, while continuing to do | 2 | | play-by-play for some exciting and memorable football and | 3 | | basketball games on the Illini Sports Network; he also hosted | 4 | | the "Monday Night Coaches Show" on WDWS for a time and was the | 5 | | co-host, along with Loren Tate, of "Saturday Sportsline" for | 6 | | many years; he was the longtime host of WDWS' popular | 7 | | community call-in show "Penny for Your Thoughts" and became | 8 | | known as the "Voice of the Illini"; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin served as emcee or master of | 10 | | ceremonies for various events, such as the Champaign Rotary | 11 | | Club's Illini football banquet, the Illinois Football Coaches | 12 | | Association annual Hall of Fame banquet, the summertime Ice | 13 | | Cream and Independence performance at the Virginia Theatre, | 14 | | and the WDWS/WHMS Scholar Athlete banquet for area high school | 15 | | scholar-athletes, which he also founded; he supported | 16 | | community and youth theater by attending hundreds of shows | 17 | | locally and featuring numerous show casts on the "Penny for | 18 | | Your Thoughts" program to help promote their performances;
his | 19 | | other community service included serving board terms with the | 20 | | Disabled Citizens Foundation and the Community Foundation of | 21 | | East Central Illinois, serving as past president of the | 22 | | American Business Club, serving as UWCC Campaign co-chair | 23 | | alongside his daughter, and serving as host for the Christmas | 24 | | Community Dinner at First Christian Church for 10 years; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin was a member of the Champaign-Urbana | 2 | | Advertising Club and the Illinois Broadcasting Association; he | 3 | | was an elder of First Presbyterian Church of Champaign; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin's professional honors included | 5 | | receiving the Broadcast Pioneer Award by the Illinois | 6 | | Broadcasters Association, being a two-time recipient of the | 7 | | IBA award for downstate Illinois' best play-by-play announcer, | 8 | | being inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches | 9 | | Association Hall of Fame media category, receiving the 2001 | 10 | | Chamber of Commerce's "Most Valuable Citizen" in Champaign | 11 | | County, and being named an honorary member of the Varsity "I" | 12 | | Association at the University of Illinois;
in 2018, he | 13 | | received the United Way of Champaign County's Spirit of Caring | 14 | | Award; he was later awarded lifetime membership in the Illini | 15 | | Quarterback Club football booster group and the Illini | 16 | | Rebounders basketball booster group; he enjoyed lifetime press | 17 | | credentials for all UI athletic events; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin loved spending time with his family; | 19 | | he also enjoyed cycling and playing tennis; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin was preceded in death by his wife of 67 | 21 | | years, Louise; his parents; his sister, Marge DeMarse; and | 22 | | numerous nephews, nieces, and good friends; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Jim Turpin is survived by his children, Chris | 2 | | (Jim Lukeman), Dan (Suzanne Cross), and Jayne (Joe DeLuce); | 3 | | his grandchildren, Carly (Jason Sakowski), Kendall (Nigel | 4 | | Yin), Shayne, Quinn, Trey, Jenna, and Jordan; his | 5 | | great-grandsons, Luka and Ozzy; and his sisters, Jody Wood and | 6 | | Sue Engle; therefore, be it
| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
| 9 | | James "Jim" G. Turpin and extend our sincere
condolences to | 10 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
him; and be it | 11 | | further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 13 | | presented to the family of Jim Turpin as an expression of
our | 14 | | deepest sympathy.
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