State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SR0363

 
                                               LRB9216468RHrh

 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  Illinois  Senate  wish  to
 3    express  their  sincere condolences to the family and friends
 4    of Joseph E. McNaughton, who passed away on  March  5,  2002;
 5    and

 6        WHEREAS,  Joseph  E.  McNaughton, former publisher of the
 7    Effingham  Daily  News  and  former  owner  of  WCRA/WCRC  in
 8    Effingham, was a man who dedicated his life to  strengthening
 9    his   community,  loving  his  family  and  being  an  astute
10    businessman; and

11        WHEREAS, Born in Bicknell, Indiana, in  1919,  Joseph  E.
12    McNaughton  was  the son of Foy F. and Cecille McNaughton; he
13    married Peggy Ann Fife in 1947 and moved  to  Effingham;  she
14    preceded him in death on April 30, 2001; and

15        WHEREAS,  Joseph  McNaughton's  father was a newspaperman
16    who wanted to purchase the Effingham newspaper, but when  the
17    family  couldn't  work  out  a  deal  at  that  time,  Joseph
18    McNaughton  started  up radio station WCRA, which went on the
19    air in June 1947 and, in June 1948, he became  president  and
20    general  manager of the station; in 1949, the Effingham Daily
21    News was  purchased  by  the  McNaughton  family  and  Joseph
22    McNaughton  became  president  and general manager; the radio
23    station later expanded to include an FM station, and  for  50
24    years   Mr.   McNaughton   was  president  of  the  Effingham
25    Broadcasting Co; in addition, he served as publisher  of  the
26    Effingham Daily News for 43 years; and

27        WHEREAS,  From  his start in Effingham, Joseph McNaughton
28    began to branch out; in 1952, he became president and general
29    manager of the Elgin Broadcasting Co.  and  from  there,  Mr.
30    McNaughton  bought  daily  newspapers  and  radio stations in
31    Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and California; and
 
                            -2-                LRB9216468RHrh
 1        WHEREAS, In his early radio and  newspaper  days,  Joseph
 2    McNaughton played a pivotal role when Effingham's St. Anthony
 3    Hospital   burned  on  April  4,  1949,  killing  77  people,
 4    including 12 infants; he set up his radio station on a  table
 5    outside  the  hospital,  broadcasting throughout the night, a
 6    first in Effingham history since AM stations were not allowed
 7    to broadcast after dark;  not  only  did  his  radio  station
 8    become  a  connection for families and community members that
 9    night, Mr. McNaughton also played a very personal role in the
10    relief effort since he was the  Effingham  County  Red  Cross
11    disaster chairman; and

12        WHEREAS,   After   the   fire,   Joseph   McNaughton  was
13    instrumental in raising funds to build a new hospital,  which
14    proudly  stands  today  as a memorial to those who lost their
15    lives; in addition, he headed eight fund drives, including  a
16    drive in 1974 to raise $1 million for the hospital; and

17        WHEREAS, Mr. McNaughton was always aware that giving back
18    to  one's  community  was  the  greatest  feat  a  man  could
19    accomplish,  and  throughout  his  life,  he  concentrated on
20    making  contributions  that  would  strengthen   the   area's
21    foundation, included leading the effort in 1953 to build Lake
22    Sara to ensure Effingham had a sufficient water supply in the
23    future; and

24        WHEREAS,  In  addition,  Mr. McNaughton quietly built his
25    radio stations and newspaper to become the voice of the  area
26    people;  he  served  at  one  time  as  the  president of the
27    Illinois Daily  Newspaper  Markets;  at  the  same  time,  he
28    continued  to  contribute  to community efforts, often behind
29    the scenes, where he was  active  in  the  local  Chamber  of
30    Commerce, was chairman of the United Fund Drive and served as
31    chairman of the Effingham County Mental Health Board; and

32        WHEREAS,  Joseph  McNaughton  had  a full life outside of
 
                            -3-                LRB9216468RHrh
 1    business and community ties; he  enjoyed  history,  traveling
 2    and hunting; he attended the 1936 Berlin Olympics when he was
 3    17  years old and sat very close to Adolph Hitler, which made
 4    a huge impression on him; from that day on, he loved  history
 5    and  became  a  voracious reader; he also visited every Civil
 6    War battle field; and

 7        WHEREAS, The passing of  Joseph  E.  McNaughton  will  be
 8    deeply  felt  by  all  who knew and loved him, especially his
 9    daughters, Mary  Cecille  McNaughton  Feezel  (husband,  Mark
10    Feezel)  and  Jo  Ann  McNaughton-Kade  (husband, Christopher
11    Kade); his brother, Dean McNaughton; his  sister,  Lou  Edith
12    (husband,   Donald)   Soldwedel;   his   grandchildren,  Sara
13    Ingersoll, Adam Helmer, Patrick Mansfield, Stephen  Mansfield
14    McNaughton, Zachary Kade, Kevin Kade, Katie Kade, Chris Kade,
15    Amanda  Kade,  Rachel  Kade, Molly Kade, Danielle Kade, Suzie
16    Kade, Joseph Kade, Ellen Kade,  William  Feezel,  and  Thomas
17    Feezel;  and  his  great-grandsons, Ross Mansfield, and Ethan
18    Mansfield; therefore, be it

19        RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-SECOND  GENERAL
20    ASSEMBLY  OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
21    all who knew him,  the  death  of  Joseph  E.  McNaughton  of
22    Effingham, Illinois; and be it further

23        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
24    presented to the family of  Joseph  E.  McNaughton  with  our
25    sincere condolences.

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