SR2036 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2036 LRB099 22136 GRL 49496 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Henry Beall Sinclair of Peoria, who passed away on April 21, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair was born on January 11, 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri; his parents were Ida Lowry Sinclair and Salomon S. Sinclair; he married Dorothy Boyd in April of 1955 in St. Louis, Missouri; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Chemistry at the University of California in Berkeley in 1952; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair worked at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in St. Louis, Missouri, where he met his future wife; the couple later moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned his Doctor of Philosophy in organic chemistry in 1959 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Henry Sinclair and his family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked at Proctor & Gamble as a chemist; in 1963, he accepted a position at the "Ag Lab" in Peoria with the United States Department of Agriculture, where he remained employed until he took early retirement in the 1990s; and

WHEREAS, In the mid-1960s Henry Sinclair began his lifelong commitment to the Boy Scouts of America, W. D. Boyce Council; he served as a scout leader at Kellar School Boy Scout Troop 304 for 15 years; while involved in scouting, he attended three National Jamborees, numerous camps at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and many international scouting events; he attended many canoe outings throughout Illinois; he devoted his time to countless troop meetings, camping, hiking, and cooking events at Camp Wokanda, and Wood Badge basics classes; at the age of 78, he was still volunteering to review submission papers from older scouts seeking the rank of Eagle Scout; and

WHEREAS, After retiring from the Ag Lab and through a lifetime scouting friendship that evolved, Henry Sinclair and his wife traveled extensively with his friends, Jack and JoAnne Dennis; they visited historical locations throughout the United States and the world for 15 years; as a Civil War history buff, he read hundreds of biographies and books about the history and strategy of the Civil War and the time period; he and his wife also took frequent recreational travels to Civil War towns and related locations; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair was a member of the Universalist Unitarian Church for over 50 years; he served as President of the Board, Trust Officer, and in many service positions; as President, he made it possible for the minister to take a leave to join the historic Selma March; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair was a longtime member of the Audubon Society; throughout the years, he frequently traveled to view local and national bird habitats to study bird species; he participated as an Audubon bird census counter, officially tracking and recording birds at Illinois River and marsh locations; he often talked about the number, types, and locations of birds that he had observed birdwatching; and

WHEREAS, From 2008 to 2015, Henry Sinclair volunteered preparing taxes for senior citizens and low income people; he also enrolled in the Bradley University Continuing Education Program and took several college classes; for five years, he participated in OLLI education programs and bus trips to various locations throughout the Midwest and mid-South; in late 2015, he was nominated to submit suggestions for academic study in cinema class and spent the last year of his life recommending and studying historic and classic cinematography; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair was a dedicated supporter of the Peoria Red Cross, the Peoria Historical Society, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Lakeview Museum, the Corn Stock Theater, and the Peoria Rivermen; and

WHEREAS, Henry Sinclair is survived by his children, Claudia and Ian; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Henry Beall Sinclair; and be it further

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