Full Text of SR0360 93rd General Assembly
SR0360 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 |
| learned with great sadness of the passing of Mildred T. | 4 |
| "Ditter" Behrends of Mason City on December 27, 2003; and
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| WHEREAS, When Mildred Behrends was little, her older | 6 |
| sister, Alberta, tried to call her "Sister" but it always came | 7 |
| out "Ditter"; the name stuck, and by the time Mildred was an | 8 |
| adult, the nickname seemed especially fitting for a woman whose | 9 |
| fingers seemed to dance effortlessly up and down the piano | 10 |
| keyboard in complex boogies and syncopated ragtime tunes; and
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| WHEREAS, During the prime of her life, Mildred Behrends was | 12 |
| probably more recognizable than the mayor or any other figure | 13 |
| around Mason City; known to everyone as "Ditter", Ms. Behrends | 14 |
| played the piano or organ for practically every public event in | 15 |
| town; she succeeded Vera Fink as pianist for the silent movies | 16 |
| at the Liberty Theatre, one of the first forums where her | 17 |
| natural ability shone; accompanists for silent movies had a | 18 |
| full book to prepare for each show and were given mere days to | 19 |
| learn it; "Ditter" played the music well and added her own | 20 |
| embellishments to boot; and
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| WHEREAS, Since high school, Ms. Behrends has been a member | 22 |
| of the Euterpean Society, a local organization named for the | 23 |
| goddess of music; among the many accomplished musicians | 24 |
| involved in the society, Ms. Behrends often was the accompanist | 25 |
| of choice; she could follow regimented scores, transpose to | 26 |
| other keys, or improvise; and
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| WHEREAS, Wearing lots of bangles, Ms. Behrends dressed | 28 |
| colorfully, often in red, white, and blue; born on the fourth | 29 |
| of July, she was a true Yankee Doodle Dandy; and
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| WHEREAS, Ms. Behrends played for local minstrel shows and |
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| every other kind of musical program during her career; ragtime | 2 |
| was her forte, and with her Euterpean friends, she plied their | 3 |
| vaudevillian and variety acts at nursing homes, club meetings, | 4 |
| and other venues; and
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| WHEREAS, Ms. Behrends adventures in show business included | 6 |
| being asked to tour with the Tiny Hill orchestra, the band that | 7 |
| played from Carnegie Hall on the Lucky Strike Cigarettes "Hit | 8 |
| Parade Show" in 1943; and
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| WHEREAS, Back home in Mason City, Ms. Behrends played organ | 10 |
| for her home church, the Christian Church, and also for St. | 11 |
| Columba's Catholic Church; she provided music at countless | 12 |
| weddings and funerals and was a perennial musician providing | 13 |
| hourlong piano-organ duets at the annual Euterpean alumni | 14 |
| banquet; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Mildred Behrends has been deeply | 16 |
| felt by all who knew and loved her, especially her son, Ron | 17 |
| Kramme; her stepdaughter, Ruth Dowell; her two grandchildren; | 18 |
| and her great-grandchild; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL | 20 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of | 21 |
| Mildred "Ditter" Behrends along with all who knew and loved her | 22 |
| and extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends; | 23 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 25 |
| presented to the family of Mildred T. Behrends as an expression | 26 |
| of our deepest sympathy.
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