Full Text of HR0032 095th General Assembly
HR0032 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to honor Thomas A. Oakley on being | 4 |
| named to the Quincy Chamber of Commerce "Business Hall of | 5 |
| Fame"; and
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| WHEREAS, Thomas A. Oakley is President and CEO of Quincy | 7 |
| Newspapers Inc. (QNI); Quincy Newspapers Inc. (QNI) is the | 8 |
| publisher of The Quincy Herald-Whig and also owns and operates | 9 |
| the Quincy Broadcasting Company, which includes WGEM-AM-FM and | 10 |
| TV, and many additional television stations across the midwest; | 11 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, He began his newspaper career as a newspaper | 13 |
| carrier, and worked during summer vacations while in high | 14 |
| school and college at The Quincy Herald-Whig and WGEM; after | 15 |
| graduation from Duke University in 1954, he returned to QNI | 16 |
| full-time prior to being called to active duty in the United | 17 |
| States Air Force; following flight training, he served as a | 18 |
| pilot in the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, Upon returning from the Air Force, he spent a year | 20 |
| in management training, and was named Production Manager of The | 21 |
| Quincy Herald-Whig in late 1958; he became Business Manager in | 22 |
| 1962, was named General Manager and Executive Vice President of |
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| Quincy Newspapers and President of Quincy Broadcasting Company | 2 |
| in 1969; and he was made publisher of The Quincy Herald-Whig | 3 |
| and President and CEO of Quincy Newspapers Inc. in 1971; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Oakley presently serves with industry groups | 5 |
| in both the broadcasting and newspaper businesses and has a | 6 |
| long history in leadership roles with such groups; and
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| WHEREAS, He has been involved in economic, industrial, and | 8 |
| highway development organizations in communities that QNI | 9 |
| companies serve; he was a co-founder of the Joint Industrial | 10 |
| Development Commission (JDIC) of Adams County; he is Chairman | 11 |
| of the Quincy Highway Committee, and has worked for over 40 | 12 |
| years to secure better highways for Western Illinois and | 13 |
| Northeast Missouri; this work includes the Central Illinois | 14 |
| Expressway and Illinois 336; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, He currently serves on the Transportation Task | 16 |
| Force of the Tri-State Economic Summit; he was a member of the | 17 |
| Board of Trustees of Quincy College for 14 years and served as | 18 |
| Vice Chairman of the Board; he served as Director of the Quincy | 19 |
| Chamber of Commerce, and as Chairman of the Chamber Area | 20 |
| Development Committee, and the Chamber Highway Committee;
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Oakley has served on many boards with strong | 22 |
| involvement in fund-raising for a number of community groups; |
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| he served as Chairman of the United Fund Industrial Division, | 2 |
| and Chairman of the entire campaign in 1968; he was Chairman of | 3 |
| the successful Quincy College Partnership Fund Campaign in | 4 |
| 1974, and Vice Chairman of Advance Gifts for the $7.5 million | 5 |
| Blessing Hospital Drive; he served as Vice Chairman of the YMCA | 6 |
| Building Drive, and has worked on fund raising for the American | 7 |
| Red Cross, Girl Scouts of America, St. Mary's Hospital, and | 8 |
| others; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, Thomas A. Oakley has been recognized with several | 10 |
| awards during his career, including the Quincy Jaycees' | 11 |
| Distinguished Service Award, and the Executive of the Year by | 12 |
| the Quinsippi Chapter of the National Secretaries Association; | 13 |
| he was elected as a Trustee and Regent of the Lincoln Academy | 14 |
| of Illinois; he was the first recipient of the Distinguished | 15 |
| Citizen Award by the Saukee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of | 16 |
| America; he received the Parker S. Gates Award for "outstanding | 17 |
| leadership in business, community service, and high ethical | 18 |
| standards"; he was a recipient of Quincy College's First Annual | 19 |
| Christian Borstadt Award, the Ike Grainger Award from the | 20 |
| United States Golf Association for over 25 years of service, | 21 |
| the Vincent Wasilewski Award From the Illinois Broadcasters | 22 |
| Association for a lifetime of Excellence in Broadcasting, and | 23 |
| the Distinguished Service Award from the Greater Rockford | 24 |
| Airport Board of Commissioner; and |
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| WHEREAS,
In addition to membership and leadership roles in | 2 |
| numerous trade and business organizations, he is a member of | 3 |
| the Rotary Club of Quincy, the Quincy Gun Club, the Quincy | 4 |
| College Mart Heinen Club, and the Quincy Country Club; Mr. | 5 |
| Oakley has served on the United States Golf Association's Green | 6 |
| Section Committee for over 25 years, and is also a member of | 7 |
| the American Senior Golf Association and the International | 8 |
| Seniors Golf Society; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Oakley is an avid golfer; he enjoys boating, | 10 |
| hunting, fishing, and skeet shooting; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, He is the loving husband of Anne (McDonald) and | 12 |
| the proud father of three children, the late Thomas C.; Ralph, | 13 |
| and Mary; he also has five lovely grandchildren; therefore, be | 14 |
| it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 17 |
| congratulate Thomas A. Oakley on being named to the Quincy | 18 |
| Chamber of Commerce "Business Hall of Fame"; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 |
| presented to Thomas A. Oakley as a sign of our respect.
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