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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 John
4 Cribbet, who passed away on May 23, 2009; and
 
5     WHEREAS, John Cribbet was born on February 21, 1918 in
6 Findlay; he was the son of Howard and Ruth Cribbet; he earned
7 his bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1940
8 and enrolled at the University of Illinois College of Law; and
 
9     WHEREAS, In the summer of 1941, John Cribbet interrupted
10 his studies to enlist in the U.S. Army as a private; over the
11 next four years, he rose in rank and responsibility, completing
12 his military career as a major and aide-de-camp for the 8th
13 Corps Commander, General Troy Middleton; Mr. Cribbet's
14 distinguished service earned him the Bronze Star and Croix de
15 Guerre; and
 
16     WHEREAS, John Cribbet earned his law degree in 1947; after
17 a few months in private practice in Bloomington, he was
18 recruited to University of Illinois' College of Law by
19 long-time Dean Albert J. Harno; he served as an assistant
20 professor from 1947 to 1951 and as an associate professor from
21 1951 until 1953, when he became a professor; in 1967, he was
22 named the College of Law's seventh dean, a post he held until

 

 

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1 being named chancellor in 1979, where he remained until 1984;
2 and
 
3     WHEREAS, Follwing his tenure at the University of Illinois,
4 John Cribbet returned to the College of Law and taught for 12
5 years before retiring in 1988; and
 
6     WHEREAS, John Cribbet played a key role in the University
7 of Illinois' growth; he also helped to revive Illini football
8 by hiring then-coach Mike White, who took the team to its first
9 Rose Bowl in two decades in 1984; he was also instrumental in
10 the creation of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and
11 Technology, one of the largest interdisciplinary research
12 centers among U.S. universities, in 1985; and
 
13     WHEREAS, John Cribbet was the author of numerous legal
14 texts, including the widely used "Cases and Materials on
15 Property", a law textbook now in its eighth edition; and
 
16     WHEREAS, John Cribbet was active in a variety of
17 organizations; he served as president of the Association of
18 American Law Schools, chairman of the Illinois Supreme Court
19 Committee on Judicial Ethics, board member of the Illinois
20 Institute of Continuing Legal Education, president of the
21 Champaign County United Fund, and member of the Champaign City
22 Planning Commission; he was a long-time member of the Urbana

 

 

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1 Rotary Club and a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow; he
2 was also involved in many county and State bar associations, as
3 well as the American Bar Association; and
 
4     WHEREAS, John Cribbet is survived by his wife, Betty, and
5 his daughters, Pamela and Carol Ann and their families; and
 
6     WHEREAS, John Cribbet will be remembered by all who knew
7 and loved him as a legendary teacher and scholar in the field
8 of property law and a gentleman who never spoke ill of anyone;
9 therefore, be it
 
10     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
12 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of John
13 Cribbet; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15 presented to the family of John Cribbet as an expression of our
16 sympathy.