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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 learned with sadness of the death of Frank K. Burgess of
4 Batavia, formerly of Geneva, on January 23, 2005; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He was born on January 31, 1920, in Aurora, to Mr.
6 and Mrs. Charles M. Burgess of Aurora; as a boy, Mr. Burgess
7 was active in Boy Scouts, where he earned the distinguished
8 rank of Eagle Scout; he graduated from West Aurora High School
9 in 1938, where he was a member of the National Honor Society,
10 Captain of the basketball team, and active in football, track,
11 drama, and numerous other activities; and
 
12     WHEREAS, In 1939, he matriculated to Cornell University in
13 Ithaca, New York, where he was a member of Army ROTC, a member
14 of Chi Psi Fraternity, and Captain of the varsity basketball
15 team; his honors included selection to Red Key, Junior and
16 Senior Honorary Society, Sphinx Head, L'Ogive (architectural
17 honorary society), Beth'L Amed, and Cornell Officers' Club; he
18 earned an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1959; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 1942, Mr. Burgess was commissioned 2nd
20 Lieutenant, Field Artillery, and was assigned to the U.S.
21 Army's last active horse artillery unit stationed at Fort Sill,
22 Oklahoma; four years of active duty ensued with assignments
23 including mechanized and armored artillery, tank destroyer
24 duty, gunnery instructor at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, and finally
25 duty in the South Pacific Theater preparing for the invasion of
26 Japan; his active duty culminated with an occupation unit in
27 Japan in September of 1945, when he was discharged as a Captain
28 in the U.S. Army; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Upon release from active duty, Mr. Burgess joined
30 his family's business, Burgess-Norton Mfg. Co., in Geneva, and
31 by 1968, he had worked his way up to Executive Vice President

 

 

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1 of Sales and Marketing; during a business career which spanned
2 36 years, he was active in several industrial organizations,
3 chief among which was the Farm and Industrial Equipment
4 Institute (FIEI), comprised of all the leading manufacturers of
5 agricultural and construction equipment worldwide; he served
6 as President and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
7 Auxiliary of the Institute and was made an Honorary Member of
8 the Institute, thereafter; and
 
9     WHEREAS, He married Mary Lou Cooper in May, 1942; they
10 first met in 1934 in dancing school; she was a brave and caring
11 "Army wife" for four years; the couple celebrated 62 years of
12 marriage in May of 2004; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Burgess resided in Geneva from 1946
14 to 2000, living first on River Street, then at the corner of
15 South and Seventh Streets, and finally in "The Mews" on Seventh
16 Street, which Mr. Burgess developed and built in the early
17 1980s; in 2000, Mr. Burgess and his wife moved to "The
18 Holmstad" in Batavia; and
 
19     WHEREAS, During those 54 years, they were active
20 participants in many Geneva activities and organizations; Mr.
21 Burgess was a Precinct Committeeman, President and a Trustee of
22 Community Hospital of Geneva, and a director of
23 Delnor-Community Hospital; he was twice President of Geneva
24 Golf Club, where he won many golf competitions; he was
25 President of Geneva Community Chest, member of First
26 Congregational Church, and President and board member of Geneva
27 Park District for 27 years, during which time the Park District
28 was founded; his service to the Park District was honored in
29 May of 2002, when Geneva's newest park was named for him; he
30 received the first "William Barth Award" from the Tri-City
31 Family Services for community service in 1988, and in 1997, the
32 "Howell Worth Murray Award" from his fraternity for community
33 service; when it came time to celebrate the 200th anniversary

 

 

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1 of the founding of the United States, Mr. Burgess assumed the
2 Chairmanship of Geneva's Bicentennial Commission, and was
3 later Chairman of the Fund Development Committee for Geneva's
4 Sesquicentennial Commission; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He was a member of Fox River Geneva Post 75 of the
6 American Legion for 59 years, Veterans of Foreign Wars for 44
7 years, the 40 & 8, Lions Club for 58 years, life member of
8 Geneva Chamber of Commerce, and Third Street Merchants
9 Association, during ownership of Robins Bookshop; and
 
10     WHEREAS, The passing of Frank K. Burgess has been deeply
11 felt by many, especially his dear wife of 63 years, Mary Lou;
12 his daughter, Nancy Burgess True (John); his sons, Peter
13 Kendall (Nancy), Bradford Cooper (Claudia), and Craig
14 McFetridge (Debra); his ten grandchildren; his four
15 great-grandchildren; his brother, Robert Charles and his wife,
16 Marirose; his nephew; his two nieces; and their five children;
17 his cousin, John E. Burgess and his wife, Christl, and their
18 two children and four grandchildren; he was preceded in death
19 by his father and mother, Charles M. and Ruth K. Burgess, and
20 by his in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Cooper; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
22 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
23 Frank K. Burgess, and we extend our sincere condolences to his
24 family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
25 further
 
26     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
27 presented to his family as an expression of our deepest
28 sympathy for their loss.