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 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  Senate  of  the  State  of
 3    Illinois  were  saddened to learn of the death of Donovan Lee
 4    John Van Der Snick of Batavia on May 8, 2003; and

 5        WHEREAS, Mr. Van Der Snick was born on April 29, 1928, in
 6    Geneseo, the son of  Raymond  and  Esther  (Nicely)  Van  Der
 7    Snick; and

 8        WHEREAS,  Mr.  Van  Der  Snick  grew  up  in  Geneseo and
 9    attended Geneseo High School, graduating in 1946; he attended
10    Monmouth College and then graduated from Carthage College  in
11    1950;  following  graduation, he taught at Homer High School,
12    where he began his coaching career in football,   basketball,
13    and track; in Homer, he met his wife, Marian Melton, and they
14    were  soon  married;  his  coaching  was  interrupted when he
15    served in the Army for two years during the Korean War; and

16        WHEREAS,  After  serving  his  country,  he  returned  to
17    teaching and coaching, helping students learn and grow  at  a
18    number of high schools in Illinois; at Effingham, he was head
19    track  coach  and assistant coach in football and basketball;
20    at Newman, he spent four years as  head  coach  in  football,
21    basketball  and  track; at Galva, he spent four years as head
22    coach in basketball, and track, and  as  assistant  coach  in
23    football; and

24        WHEREAS,  Mr.  Van  Der  Snick  worked with some talented
25    athletes at Batavia High School, coaching Ken  Anderson,  who
26    later played in the NFL and Dan Issel, who played and coached
27    in  the NBA; he completed his teaching and coaching career in
28    Wheaton and Lincoln; in his years as a basketball  coach,  he
29    obtained a record of 363 wins and was later inducted into the
30    Illinois  Basketball  Hall  of Fame; known by his friends and
31    family as "Van" or "Coach",  he  retired  from  teaching  and
32    coaching  in  1975,  but  continued  to  support  high school
 
                           -2-       LRB093 12119 KEF 17012 r
 1    athletics in several ways; he served as an official with  the
 2    IHSA  and  frequently attended Batavia High School basketball
 3    games in support of head coach Jim Roberts, a former  player;
 4    he  later  operated  an insurance agency, continuing his work
 5    for his clients from his hospital bed; and

 6        WHEREAS, Mr.  Van  Der  Snick  enjoyed  sports,  fishing,
 7    playing  cards,  and spending time with his family; he leaves
 8    many memories of fun  times  and  personal  quotes  with  his
 9    children and grandchildren; and

10        WHEREAS,  Mr. Van Der Snick's passing will be deeply felt
11    by many, especially his wife of  52  years,  Marian  Van  Der
12    Snick;  his  children,  J. Brick Van Der Snick, Robin (Roger)
13    Hayden,  and  Staci  (Mark)   Van   Der   Snick-Novack;   his
14    grandchildren,  Kyle  Hayden  and  Hope  Novack; his brother,
15    Stanley (Ginny) Van Der Snick; his  three  nephews;  and  his
16    three great nieces; and

17        WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond
18    and Esther; therefore, be it

19        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
20    ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of
21    Donovan Lee John Van Der Snick along with all  who  knew  and
22    loved  him  and  extend our sincere condolences to his family
23    and friends; and be it further

24        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
25    presented  to the family of Donovan Lee John Van Der Snick as
26    an expression of our deepest sympathy.