Full Text of SR0239 99th General Assembly
SR0239 99TH 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 Verlyn "Swede" Roskam, who passed away on | 4 | | March 13, 2015; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Verlyn Roskam was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa; he | 6 | | graduated from Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, | 7 | | Missouri and from Knox College in 1951; he served as a company | 8 | | commander in the Korean War and was honored by the government | 9 | | of Korea at a 50th anniversary ceremony; for more than 50 | 10 | | years, the Roskams have made their home in the Glen Ellyn and | 11 | | Wheaton areas; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, On July 26, 1952, Verlyn Roskam married the love | 13 | | of his life, Martha Lou Jacobsen, in Oak Park; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Verlyn Roskam worked full-time as an | 15 | | international salesman for the sorbent minerals company | 16 | | Oil-Dri Corp. of America until last year at the age of 84 - a | 17 | | career that spanned 45 years; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Verlyn Roskam formed Educational Assistance | 19 | | Limited, an organization that uses surplus inventory from | 20 | | colleges and universities and contributions from outside | 21 | | donors to fund scholarships and supplies for college students |
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| 1 | | who could not otherwise afford to go; Educational Assistance | 2 | | Limited has raised millions of dollars and helped more than | 3 | | 10,000 students nationwide; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Verlyn Roskam was an active member of the Glen | 5 | | Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Verlyn Roskam was known for sponsoring trips | 7 | | overseas for young people within his church or paying for the | 8 | | education of others who were once in his situation; in 2002, on | 9 | | a business trip in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, his wife, Martha, | 10 | | noticed a basket of military dog tags; they purchased all 37 of | 11 | | them and hired a private investigator to track down the | 12 | | families of the 37 men; they spent the next decade personally | 13 | | delivering them to each family they could find; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Although not political themselves, Verlyn Roskam | 15 | | and his wife supported their son, Peter, in his political | 16 | | aspirations - often seen campaigning and participating in | 17 | | parades on their son's behalf; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Verlyn Roskam is survived by his wife of 62 years, | 19 | | Martha (nee Jacobsen) Roskam; his 5 children, Stephen | 20 | | (Chandler), Dick (Phyllis), Sarah, U.S. Representative Peter | 21 | | (Elizabeth), and Maribeth (Jon Coote); and his 16 | 22 | | grandchildren, Gracey Roskam, Frankie Roskam, Steve Roskam, AJ |
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| 1 | | Roskam, Jacob Roskam, Mica Roskam, Hilary Roskam, Jon Roskam, | 2 | | Lilly Roskam, Bryan Simpson, Hope Simpson, Jayne Averitt, Ian | 3 | | Coote, Peter Coote, Jonathan Coote, Jr., and Philip Coote; | 4 | | therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 6 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 7 | | Verlyn "Swede" Roskam, and extend our sincere condolences to | 8 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 9 | | further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to the family of Verlyn Roskam as an expression of | 12 | | our deepest sympathy.
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