SR0542 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0542 LRB099 12335 MST 35451 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Nancy Lee Turgasen Bates of Danville, who passed away on April 5, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Bates was born in Louisville, Kentucky on February 12, 1934 to Vernon Louis and Julie Meier Turgasen; she attended Crete schools and graduated from Iowa State University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education; she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Nu honor societies and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority; she married Keith Allen Bates, DVM, on August 24, 1956 at Crete Methodist Church; and

WHEREAS, While her husband was in the military, Nancy Bates taught school in Seattle, Washington and then part-time in Georgetown and Danville; she was active in parent-teacher associations and music booster organizations and was a Great Books leader; she worked with the Lakeview Hospital Junior Board, the Junior Services Club, the Danville Symphony Guild, and the P.E.O. Sisterhood; she was on the board of the Christian Home for Youth and the Danville Rescue Mission; she served as President of the League of Women Voters and the Salvation Army Auxiliary and was active on several local school and community referendum committees, including the Committee for Middlefork Reservoir; and

WHEREAS, In 1980, Nancy Bates was elected to the Board of Trustees at Danville Area Community College and was the first female board Chair for her final 2 years, ending in 1999; during this time, she was active with the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, serving as secretary, regional Chair, and on several committees; in 1999, she received the Association of Community College Trustees' Trustee Leadership Award for the Central U.S. Region and was the recipient of the annual Athena Award from the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce; in 2014, she was named Director Emeritus of the Danville Area Community College Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Bates and her husband enjoyed traveling and volunteering; she was a member of the Danville Garden Club, the Clover Club, and the P.E.O.; she served as an officer of the Lincoln Park Historic District Homeowners Association and on the Webster Foundation and the Danville Area Community College Foundation boards; she enjoyed needlework and golf; she was an elder in the Presbyterian Church and served in many capacities at St. James United Methodist Church; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Bates was preceded in death by her parents; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Bates is survived by her sister, Susan Sawyer; her husband, Keith; her son, Brian Keith Bates (Patricia) and his 2 sons, Johnathon "Jake" and Nick; and Dr. Becky Jo Estill (Scott) and her 2 daughters, Sara and Caitlin; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Nancy Lee Turgasen Bates, and extend our sincere condolences her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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