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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of their former
4 colleague, U.S. Senator Paul Simon, of Makanda, on Tuesday,
5 December 9, 2003; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Senator Simon was born on November 29, 1928 in
7 Eugene, Oregon to Reverend Martin Simon and his wife, Ruth; he
8 attended Dana College in Nebraska; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Senator Simon's success in politics began with the
10 reformer's zeal he evidenced at the Troy Tribune, where he was
11 a crusading owner-editor, the nation's youngest newspaper
12 owner, before he was old enough to vote; he testified in 1951
13 before Senator Estes Kefauver's Crime Investigating Committee,
14 and in 1954, after a two-year stint in the Army Counter
15 Intelligence Corps along the Iron Curtain, he parlayed exposure
16 of political corruption and organized crime in Madison County
17 into a successful race for the Illinois House; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Senator Simon served eight years in the House of
19 Representatives, where he met his first wife, Jeanne Hurley of
20 Wilmette, shortly after she was elected to the State
21 legislature in 1956; they married in 1960, becoming the first
22 husband-and-wife team in the history of the Illinois General
23 Assembly; she preceded him in death in 2000; and
 
24     WHEREAS, As a legislator, he was chief sponsor of the law
25 that required governmental agencies at all levels to open their
26 meetings to the public and the news media; he voluntarily
27 disclosed his personal finances in his first race for the State
28 legislature - long before any disclosure was required - and
29 continued baring his finances in more detail than the law
30 required throughout his political career; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, In 1968, voters elected Republican Richard
2 Ogilvie as Governor and Democrat Paul Simon as Lieutenant
3 Governor, the only time in Illinois history that voters would
4 pair politicians of different parties for those offices; as
5 Lieutenant Governor, he held town meetings throughout the State
6 to field complaints about State government; following his term
7 as Lieutenant Governor, he started the public affairs reporting
8 program at Sangamon State University, now the University of
9 Illinois at Springfield; and
 
10     WHEREAS, In 1974, Senator Simon was elected to the U.S.
11 House of Representatives, serving 10 years until winning
12 election to the U.S. Senate; he held the seat for 12 years
13 before retiring in 1997; he helped overhaul the federal student
14 loan program to enable students and their families to borrow
15 directly from the government; he advocated for liberal causes
16 and increased funding for social programs, but he also
17 campaigned for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S.
18 Constitution; he was known to be a man of integrity and a voice
19 for the less fortunate; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Senator Simon wrote weekly newspaper columns for
21 46 years and authored or co-wrote more than 20 books between
22 1964 and 2003; his most recent book, "Our Culture of Pandering"
23 was published earlier this year; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Following his retirement from the U.S. Senate,
25 Senator Simon took up teaching, writing, and heading the Public
26 Policy Institute, a think tank which he founded at Southern
27 Illinois University Carbondale; he married Patricia Derge in
28 2001; he is the recipient of several honorary degrees and other
29 accolades; and
 
30     WHEREAS, The passing of Senator Paul Simon has been deeply
31 felt by many throughout the State of Illinois, but especially
32 by his wife, Patricia; his daughter, Sheila; his son, Martin;

 

 

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1 and his step-daughter, Jennie Derge; therefore, be it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
3 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
4 Senator Paul Simon, a great man who will long be remembered for
5 his devotion to serving the least fortunate people of our
6 society, for his genuine personality, and his trademark bow-tie
7 and glasses; and be it further
 
8     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9 presented to the family of Senator Paul Simon as an expression
10 of our sincerest condolences during their time of bereavement.