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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
4Illinois State Representative Virgil Cornwell Wikoff of
5Champaign, who passed away on March 16, 2012; and
 
6    WHEREAS, He was born February 6, 1927, in Decatur, the son
7of Virgil L. and Grace Cornwell Wikoff; he married Helen Moore
8on August 23, 1947, in Maroa; and
 
9    WHEREAS, He grew up on a farm southwest of Maroa that has
10been in the Wikoff family since the 1860s; after graduation
11from Maroa Township High School in 1944, he enlisted in the
12United States Navy and served in the Pacific Theater; he then
13attended the University of Illinois and received his Bachelor
14of Science degree in architectural engineering in 1951,
15following which he was recalled to active duty in the United
16States Naval Reserve and served for 18 months during the Korean
17Conflict; and
 
18    WHEREAS, When he returned to Champaign, he and a friend
19founded Lyman-Wikoff Inc., a general construction firm; he was
20a charter member of the Champaign-Urbana Chapter of the
21National Association of Home Builders; he was also a member of
22the Central Illinois Builders Association of the Contractors of

 

 

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1America, with whom he held several offices; and
 
2    WHEREAS, He became active in the Champaign-Urbana Jaycees
3and served in many local and State offices; he was awarded a
4lifetime membership as a Senator in the Junior Chamber
5International in 1963; he was elected to the Champaign City
6Council in 1963 and served 4 years; he was then elected mayor
7of Champaign and served 8 years; during that time he was active
8in many associations, including the Illinois Municipal League,
9serving both on its board and as president; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1977, he was elected to the Illinois House of
11Representatives and served 3 terms; he was later appointed as a
12member of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission and for many
13years was a public member of the Illinois Medical Disciplinary
14Commission; he was also a member of the American Arbitration
15Association; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Mr. Wikoff was a member of the Masonic Lodge,
17Bloomington Consistory, Ansar Shrine, and for a time was a
18member and chairman of the board of managers of the Masonic
19Home in Sullivan; he was also an active member of First
20Presbyterian Church in Champaign; he served on several boards,
21including the Salvation Army and Developmental Service Center
22and was a member of the VFW, Kiwanis, and the Champaign County
23Farm Bureau; he was an honorary member of the University of

 

 

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1Illinois Varsity I Association, a past president of both
2Quarterback and Rebounders, and was also a long time supporter
3of University of Illinois sports and the University of Illinois
4Foundation; and
 
5    WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents and an
6infant daughter; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Virgil Wikoff is survived by his wife, Helen; his
8daughters, Terri (Robert) Bolduc and Patti (Greg) Bolton; his
9grandchildren, Jon (Jennie) Bolduc, Holly (Cavan) Dunn, Josh
10Bolduc, Kendra (Jon) Bristow, and Kristi (Todd) Carlson; and
11his great-grandchildren, Sophia Dunn, Casey Bolduc, Lyndley
12Carlson, and Atley Carlson; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
16former Illinois State Representative Virgil Wikoff; and be it
17further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of former Illinois State Representative
20Virgil Wikoff as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.