Full Text of SR0061 102nd General Assembly
SR0061 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 Frederick "Fred" Walton Allen of | 4 | | Peoria, who passed away on January 24, 2021; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Fred Allen was born to Frederick William Allen | 6 | | and Laura Josephine (Johnson) Allen in Ripon, Wisconsin on | 7 | | June 10, 1923; he graduated from Ripon High School in 1941 and | 8 | | enrolled in Ripon College; he halted his studies to | 9 | | voluntarily enlist in the U.S. Army Air Force on December 7, | 10 | | 1942; he spent time as a pilot stationed at Keesler Field in | 11 | | Biloxi, Mississippi, the College of Waynesburg in | 12 | | Pennsylvania, the Classification Center at Nashville, | 13 | | Tennessee, Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama, Douglas, | 14 | | Georgia, and Cochran Army Airfield in Macon, Georgia; he | 15 | | received his pilot's wings on August 5, 1944 at Moody Field in | 16 | | Valdosta, Georgia and completed his training with the rank of | 17 | | second lieutenant; with the assistance of the GI Bill, he | 18 | | attended law school for two years at Northwestern University; | 19 | | he was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1949; he married | 20 | | Tilley (Derges) Allen at the First Methodist Church of Peoria | 21 | | on July 26, 1952; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Fred Allen had a long and distinguished career as | 23 | | a plaintiff's attorney; in 1949, he was hired by the law firm |
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| 1 | | of Louis Knobloch; in 1974, he became the first downstate | 2 | | Illinois lawyer to win a $1 million award for a client, Ford | 3 | | Motors Company; he built his own law firm as a self-made | 4 | | businessman and regularly made time for pro bono legal work; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Fred Allen ran for Congress in 1956; he was | 7 | | elected for eight years as the 18th Congressional District | 8 | | State Central Committeeman for the Democratic party; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, After his $1 million verdict, Fred Allen earned | 10 | | membership into the Inner Circle of Advocates, an elite | 11 | | national group limited to plaintiff's attorneys who had won | 12 | | seven figure awards; at the time of his inclusion, there had | 13 | | been only 55 such awards paid out in the United States and | 14 | | members were limited to 100 nationally; he was a fellow of the | 15 | | American College of Trial Lawyers, a fellow of the | 16 | | International Society of Barristers, a fellow of the | 17 | | International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and a member of the | 18 | | Board of Governors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of | 19 | | America; he was president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers | 20 | | Association from 1974 through 1975, the Peoria County Bar | 21 | | Association from 1979 through 1980, and the invitation only | 22 | | Society of Trial Lawyers of Illinois from 1983 through 1984; | 23 | | he was a fellow and active in the Illinois State Bar | 24 | | Association for more than 50 years; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Fred Allen was a member of the Elks Club for more | 2 | | than 70 years; he was a president of the Country Club of Peoria | 3 | | and was also a member of the American Legion, the First United | 4 | | Methodist Church of Peoria, the Union League Club of Chicago, | 5 | | Springs Country Club of Rancho Mirage, California, Old Baldy | 6 | | Club of Saratoga, Wyoming, and the Mascoutin Golf Club of | 7 | | Berlin, Wisconsin; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Before World War Two, Fred Allen signed with a | 9 | | farm team of the New York Yankees, where he was known for his | 10 | | fastball; following his military service, he signed a contract | 11 | | as a pitcher with the Papermakers of Appleton, Wisconsin, a | 12 | | minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians; while he | 13 | | never realized the dream of becoming a Major League pitcher, | 14 | | he remained a devoted baseball fan; in 2016, a dream of his | 15 | | came true when he watched with his family as his beloved Cubs | 16 | | won the World Series; he especially enjoyed spending time with | 17 | | his daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their | 18 | | families; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Fred Allen was preceded in death by his parents; | 20 | | his wife of 66 years; his daughter, Laura Allen Curfman; and | 21 | | his sister, Jane (Allen) Waters; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Fred Allen is survived by his two daughters, |
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| 1 | | Diane (Doug) Allen Cullinan Oberhelman and Rita Allen Graves; | 2 | | his seven grandchildren, Kathleen Cullinan (Tyson) Brill, | 3 | | Maureen Cullinan (Christopher) Bennett, Alison Cullinan (Matt) | 4 | | Unkovich, Allen (Laura) Cullinan, Crystal Curfman (Coby) Shaw, | 5 | | Colette Curfman, and Whitney Graves; his 13 | 6 | | great-grandchildren, Austin Brill, Hudson Brill, Cameron | 7 | | Brill, Michael Bennett, Avery Bennett, Luke Bennett, Duane | 8 | | Douglas Cullinan, Mary Michael Cullinan, Frances Cullinan, | 9 | | Duke Unkovich, Tilley Unkovich, Adelaide Lott, and Coleman | 10 | | Lott; and his one great-grandchild on the way at the time of | 11 | | his passing; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 14 | | Frederick "Fred" Walton Allen and extend our sincere | 15 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 16 | | him; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of Fred Allen as an expression of our | 19 | | deepest sympathy.
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