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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of B. Don Rankin of Arcola, who passed away
4on October 25, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Don Rankin was born in Princeton, Missouri to
6William Harrison and Mary Zella Busby Rankin on June 6, 1943;
7he attended schools in Ravanna, Missouri, where he graduated
8high school in 1961; he graduated from Northeast Missouri State
9University (Truman State University) in 1965, where he was a
10member of the Blue Key Honor Society and president of the Sigma
11Tau Gamma Fraternity; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Don Rankin taught high school and college prep
13English at Benton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa,
14until he began his career in publishing as an editor with the
15Webb Publishing Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota; he and his
16wife, Linda, purchased the Arcola Record Herald newspaper and a
17small trade magazine for broom manufacturers, the Broom and
18Broom Corn News, in 1977 and began the Rankin Publishing
19Company; he and Linda and their sons moved to Arcola in
20December of 1977, where he was a proud citizen and community
21supporter; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Don Rankin owned and published the Record Herald

 

 

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1for 25 years, where his column, The Rankin File, was a favorite
2of readers; he and Linda added the trade magazines Maintenance
3Sales News, Busline, and Discover Central Illinois to the
4company and expanded the Broom and Broom Corn News into the
5Broom Brush and Mop magazine; during that time, they also owned
6and published The Arthur Graphic-Clarion, the Oakland
7newspapers, and the Free Press; in 2000, the decision was made
8for Rankin Publishing to focus entirely on its trade magazines,
9and that business and its dedicated staff continue to publish
10these magazines from Arcola; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Don Rankin was on the board of the Arcola
12Foundation for 30 years, serving as its vice president; he and
13Linda were named grand marshals of the Arcola Broom Corn
14Festival in 2016; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Don Rankin and Linda were lifelong members of the
16United Methodist Church, and he served the Arcola United
17Methodist Church as a representative on various committees and
18boards throughout the years; he was a past president of the
19Arcola Chamber of Commerce and The Arcola Sports Boosters; he
20was a member of the Arcola Music Boosters and other community
21organizations and a willing volunteer for community events; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Don Rankin was the grandfather of Sophia Zella
23Rankin, Cale Squires, Madison Rankin, and Caden Rankin; he was

 

 

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1brother-in-law to Dr. Richard Jaspers (Joyce), Keith Jaspers
2(Karen), and Marcia Jaspers Hollatz (Richard) and a special
3uncle to his nieces and nephews; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Don Rankin is survived by his wife of 50 years,
5Linda Jane Jaspers; his sons, William Jason (Sarah) and Donald
6Chase (Lynn) Rankin; and his brother, Dr. W. Dale (Nancy)
7Rankin; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
9ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10B. Don Rankin and extend our sincere condolences to his family,
11friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13presented to the family of Don Rankin as an expression of our
14deepest sympathy.