SR0827 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0827 LRB096 22335 GRL 41473 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of David Pearson Thorpe, who passed away on April 16, 2010; and

WHEREAS, David Thorpe grew up in Pittsburgh as the son of a steelworker; as a young boy, he wanted to become a metallurgical engineer; he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's degree in engineering; he then went to work for a steel company in Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he lived with his wife and children for 14 years; and

WHEREAS, In the 1970s, David Thorpe moved with his family to Auburn Heights, Michigan, where he worked for another steel company for 7 years before taking a job with Republic Steel in Chicago and moving to Glen Ellyn in 1980; he retired from Republic Steel after many years of service; and

WHEREAS, In the 1980s, David Thorpe began volunteering as a youth counselor at St. Thomas United Methodist Church in Glen Ellyn; he led several mission trips to Ohio to help remodel homes for the elderly and to Honduras to build homes and schools; during that time, he was also a volunteer with the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, where he collected and helped ship emergency supplies to flood-stricken areas across the Midwest for many years; and

WHEREAS, For the last several years, David Thorpe was a participant in the Glen Ellyn/Wheaton CROP WALK, a 6K walk sponsored by Church World Service to raise funds to fight world hunger; and

WHEREAS, David Thorpe was employed with the DuPage Community Clinic for many years, helping those who didn't have health insurance or money for medications get the care they needed; and

WHEREAS, David Thorpe is survived by his wife of 54 years, Norma; his sons, William and Daniel; his daughters, Rebecca Flood and Polly Acton; his sister, Marjorie Worst; and his 9 grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of David Pearson Thorpe; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of David Thorpe as an expression of our sympathy.