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90_HR0331
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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives and the people of the State of Illinois have
4 lost a valued friend and dedicated public servant with the
5 death of Senator Penny Severns; and
6 WHEREAS, Penny Severns and her identical twin sister,
7 Patty, were born on January 21, 1952 in Decatur, Illinois,
8 the daughters of Donald Severns, Sr. and Helen Severns; and
9 WHEREAS, In 1972, Penny Severns was an alternate at-large
10 delegate to the Democratic National Convention, the
11 then-youngest delegate ever elected; later in the year Penny
12 was elected to one of six spots from Illinois on the
13 Democratic National Committee; in 1974 she graduated from
14 Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a Bachelor of
15 Arts degree in political science with a concentration in
16 international relations; and
17 WHEREAS, In 1977 Penny moved to Washington D.C. where she
18 was appointed to a prominent post with the United States
19 State Department; Penny served for two years as a Special
20 Assistant to the Administrator of the Agency for
21 International Development; Penny traveled to Thailand, Nepal,
22 and India, where she evaluated and audited the United States'
23 mission in those countries; and
24 WHEREAS, While working for the Agency for International
25 Development, Penny was given the opportunity to be a part of
26 history when she served as the Agency's Representative during
27 negotiations of the Camp David Peace Accords; Penny was in
28 attendance on the day the historic document was signed; and
29 WHEREAS, While in Washington, Penny Severns was a
30 Resident Associate at the Smithsonian Institute, where she
31 met and talked with some of the world's great architects and
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1 master builders; Penny was fond of Frank Lloyd Wright and his
2 work, and is remembered as someone who helped in the
3 preservation of his work, particularly with the Dana-Thomas
4 House in Springfield; and
5 WHEREAS, Penny Severns resigned from the State Department
6 in 1979; she returned to Decatur and took a job with Archer
7 Daniels Midland; in 1980 Penny ran an unsuccessful campaign
8 for United States Congress against United States
9 Representative Edward Madigan; even though she lost the
10 election, the campaign gave Penny the opportunity to meet
11 many of the citizens of Central Illinois, and her increased
12 visibility helped her in future elections; in 1981 she worked
13 as an Administrative Assistant to the State Comptroller; in
14 1983 Penny Severns won a seat on the Decatur City Council
15 with the largest number of votes in the history of Decatur;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, Penny Severns won the 51st District Senate seat
18 in 1986; while serving her District, Senator Severns held the
19 position of Minority Caucus Whip, was a top budget
20 negotiator, and was minority spokesperson of the Revenue
21 Committee; she also served on the Executive Committee and the
22 Legislative Audit Commission; in 1994 Penny was the
23 Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois; and
24 WHEREAS, In 1989 Senator Severns was selected from a
25 nationwide group of state and local lawmakers to participate
26 as a Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of
27 Government; the intensive program focused on the study of
28 public policy; Senator Severn's hard work earned her a
29 position as a Toll Fellow to study public policy with the
30 National Council of State Legislatures in Lexington,
31 Kentucky; and
32 WHEREAS, Senator Severns was selected as a Delegate by
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1 the German Marshall Fund to study job training and vocational
2 education programs in Germany and Denmark; and
3 WHEREAS, Penny Severns will be remembered for her love of
4 music, travel, bicycling, and books about politics and
5 history; Senator Severns loved spending time with her family
6 and her many friends; and
7 WHEREAS, Senator Penny Severns is survived by her father,
8 Donald Severns, Sr. and his wife, Audine Moery; her twin
9 sister, Patty Severns Love, and her husband Douglas and their
10 three children, Kristin, Weston, and Graham; her brother, Rod
11 Severns and his wife, Jane; her brother, Don Severns, Jr.,
12 and his children, Jennifer, Emily, and Matt Severns; her
13 nephew, Nick Wilber; and a great nephew, Kyle Wilber; Senator
14 Severns was preceded in death by her mother, Helen Severns,
15 and her sister Marsha Severns Hamilton; therefore, be it
16 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
18 mourn, along with her family, friends, constituents, and the
19 people of the State of Illinois, the death of Senator Penny
20 Severns; she will be greatly missed by those who worked with
21 her and were a part of her life; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
23 presented to the family of Senator Penny Severns, along with
24 our sincere condolences.