HR0039 LRB096 05907 KXB 15988 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
4 Illinois House of Representatives member Carl Soderstrom of
5 Streator, who passed away on January 13, 2009; and
 
6     WHEREAS, He was born in Streator on December 14, 1915, and
7 graduated from Streator High School in 1931; he attended the
8 University of Illinois, was a member of the marching band, and
9 graduated from there with a B.S. degree in 1937; he obtained
10 his law degree from the University of Illinois Law School in
11 February of 1943; and he was admitted to the Illinois Bar in
12 March of the same year; and
 
13     WHEREAS, In 1941, he married the former Virginia Merriner
14 of Streator and they had five children, who were born and
15 raised in Streator; Virginia Soderstrom taught German and world
16 history at Streator High School for many years; during World
17 War II, he worked in the Seneca shipyards, where the LST's,
18 Landing Ship Tanks, were built; he worked in the steel
19 procurement department, ensuring a constant supply of steel
20 necessary to keep the ship line in constant production for the
21 10,000 people who worked there; and
 
22     WHEREAS, After the war, he opened his general-practice law

 

 

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1 office in Streator, specializing in worker's compensation
2 cases; he first was elected to the Illinois State Legislature
3 in 1950 and was always proud of the fact that he consistently
4 received strong endorsements from labor, farmers, and
5 educators; while in the Legislature, he sponsored numerous
6 pieces of legislation for the benefit of labor and served as
7 chairman of the House Education Committee; he retired in 1974;
8 in 1964, due to reapportionment, Illinois held a statewide
9 election, and he was the leading Republican with the most votes
10 of any downstate candidate, tallying over 1 million votes; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In May of 2003, he received a rare invitation from
12 House Speaker Michael Madigan to return to Springfield to
13 address the Illinois House of Representatives; and last fall he
14 was invited by the AFL-CIO to open ceremonies in Peoria
15 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the merger of the
16 American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial
17 Organizations; and
 
18     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his father, Reuben G.
19 Soderstrom, a former State legislator from Streator and
20 president of the American Federation of Labor, and then the
21 AFL-CIO, from 1930 to 1970; his mother, Jeanne Shaw; his
22 brother, Robert; his sister, Jeanne; and his daughter, Jane;
23 and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, He is survived by his children, Dr. Carl
2 Soderstrom (Cris), Virginia Pace (Jack), Dr. Robert Soderstrom
3 (Susan), and William Soderstrom (Lorna); his 14 grandchildren,
4 Carl Soderstrom, Robert Soderstrom, Steven Soderstrom, Erik
5 Soderstrom, John Soderstrom, Denise Pace, David Pace, Phillip
6 Pace, Sara Soderstrom, Paul Soderstrom, Lance Soderstrom,
7 Nathan Soderstrom, Annie Soderstrom, and Lucas Soderstrom; his
8 five great-grandchildren, Drew Soderstrom, Mira Soderstrom,
9 Isaac Soderstrom, Dillon Soderstrom, and Jackson Soderstrom;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, His memory was honored by the Fighting Illini
12 Marching Band, who played three songs in his honor after his
13 funeral; therefore, be it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
16 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of former
17 State Representative Carl Soderstrom; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to the family of Carl Soderstrom as a symbol of our
20 sincere sympathy.