SR0111 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0111 LRB094 11655 HSS 43498 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Clifford T. Johnson of River Forest on Friday, February 25, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson was born on a dairy farm in Beresford, South Dakota; after leaving high school early to help deliver milk, he returned to high school and graduated in 1934; he then went to Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to become a Lutheran minister; while there, he connected with the school's radio station and was told he had a strong speaking voice; and

WHEREAS, He met his wife, Luella, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and in 1938, they were married; they moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he worked for Central States Network, then moved to KOIL in Omaha; he was soon noticed and signed with WBBM in Chicago in 1941; and

WHEREAS, In 1942, Mr. Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served stateside until 1945; he returned to WBBM and was host of "Meet the Missus", "Shopping with the Missus", and "Listen to Cliff"; he caught the notice of Philip K. Wrigley, who signed him at KNX Radio, an affiliate of CBS in Hollywood; there he filled in for Jack Bailey during his show "Queen for a Day" and once for Art Linkletter and his segment "Kids Say the Darndest Things", which sparked Mr. Johnson's "Breakfast with the Johnsons" idea; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, the family moved back to Chicago, and Mr. Johnson began broadcasting "Breakfast With the Johnsons" from their home, a show that included his four daughters and one son at the breakfast table; the show was a regular segment from 1947 until 1958 and often included surprise visits from the milk man or the minister; it was a forerunner of today's reality television shows; and

WHEREAS, He later became host of "Sounds of Europe" and received the Dwight Eisenhower Award for his broadcast reports from 11 European countries; he also served as managing editor from 1964 to 1968 at WNUS, the first all-news station in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson left radio in 1968 to start Lucliff Realty in Oak Park, and in 1970, launched Cliff Johnson Travel Agency, which he sold in 1995; and

WHEREAS, At the age of 77, he returned to college and received his bachelor's degree in communications from Concordia University in River Forest; ten years later, he received a master's degree in theology; he served on Concordia's Foundation Board of Directors for two terms and was a university communication consultant for 15 years; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, he produced cable shows aired on the Oak Park-River Forest access cable station; he earned a cable award for his work on a program on the Judeo-Christian culture present in the community; and

WHEREAS, In 1985, Mr. Johnson founded Oak Park's Volunteer Center; he was a member of the Oak Park-River Forest Rotary Club and was the recipient of the club's Carl S. Winters Community Service Award in 2004; he also served as president of the Rotary and Lions clubs and the American Society of Travel Agents; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Clifford T. Johnson has been deeply felt by many, especially his daughters, Sandra Mueller, Linda Geer, Pamela Cornell, and Vicki Riordan; his son, Clifford Jr.; his sister, Doris Burkhart-Thurk; and his 15 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; his wife, Luella, preceded him in death in 1993; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Clifford T. Johnson, whose sterling character and pleasing personality will be long remembered, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to his family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.