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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Joseph F.
4 Prola of Springfield, who passed away on February 20, 2008; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola was born on May 23, 1910 in
6 Houghton, Michigan; he was the son of Peter and Mary Verbena
7 Prola; he married Olive Hill on November 21, 1936; she preceded
8 him in death in 1995; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola grew up in Wilsonville; he was a
10 resident of Springfield from 1930 until his passing; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola became a member of ROTC while
12 attending the University of Illinois, graduating as a second
13 lieutenant; he was called to active duty in April of 1941 to
14 serve as an instructor at the Army General Staff School in Fort
15 Leavenworth; in October of 1944, as a lieutenant colonel, he
16 was called to serve at Third Army Headquarters under General
17 George Patton, where he served as the general's supply officer
18 during the Battle of the Bulge; he was promoted to the rank of
19 full colonel in August of 1945 and served in the Army Reserves
20 until May of 1970; during his reserve officer service, he
21 taught at the Pentagon during six terms on active duty and was
22 president of the Illinois Reserve Officers Association; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola's professional career began as a
2 clerk at an insurance agency in Springfield in 1930, where he
3 met his wife, Olive; he soon after became the executive
4 director and president of the association and an owner of what
5 became Joseph F. Prola & Co. Insurance Agency; he was also
6 employed in the savings and loan industry as president of
7 Sangamon Home Savings and as executive vice president of
8 Security Federal Savings and Loan Association (now Security
9 Bank); he retired at the age of 86; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola was active in many community
11 organizations in the City of Springfield; he was a 40-year
12 member and national president of the American Business Club; he
13 served as chairman of the Springfield United Fund in 1960; he
14 was the president of the Springfield and Sangamon County United
15 Way; he served as an advisory board member for the Salvation
16 Army for 15 years; he served as president of the Springfield
17 Chamber of Commerce; he was a member and president of the
18 Lincoln Library Board; he was a member of the Illinois Savings
19 and Loan Board for more than 20 years, serving as its president
20 in 1986; he served as president of the Illinois Association of
21 Insurance Agents in 1955; he served as president of the
22 Illinois League of Savings Institutions in 1970; he served on
23 the Executive Committee of the United States League of Savings
24 Institutions from 1975 until 1978; he served as a registered

 

 

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1 lobbyist for both the insurance and savings and loan
2 industries; he was a member of Illini Country Club for more
3 than 50 years, serving on its board of directors and as its
4 president in 1959; and he was also a member of the Sangamo
5 Club; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola was a champion bowler during his
7 early years in Springfield; he was an avid golfer who traveled
8 across the country with his wife, Olive, to play at premier
9 courses, such as the St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland and
10 Pinehurst Golf Course in North Carolina, where he scored a
11 hole-in-one at the No. 4 Course; he also loved reading,
12 ballroom dancing, gin, and bridge; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola was preceded in death by his wife;
14 and his son, Robert H. Prola; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Joseph F. Prola is survived by his daughter, Dee
16 (husband, Illinois State Representative Mark) Beaubien; his
17 grandchildren, Mark J. Beaubien, Robert P. Beaubien, Joseph
18 Prola, and Hilary Prola; his great-grandchildren, Annie,
19 Bobby, Ella, and Mark; his niece, Connie Deatherage; and his
20 nephew, Rich Berutti; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we

 

 

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1 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Joseph
2 F. Prola; and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to the family of Joseph F. Prola as an expression of
5 our sympathy.