Full Text of SR2267 99th General Assembly
SR2267 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Melvin Thomas "Tom" Davisson, P.E., Ph.D. | 4 | | of Urbana, who passed away on September 9, 2016; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Melvin Davisson was born on December 23, 1931 in | 6 | | Grafton, West Virginia; his parents were David Earl Davisson | 7 | | and Leona Caroline Davisson; he married Marlene Elaine Krumeich | 8 | | on May 14, 1955 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cuyahoga | 9 | | Falls, Ohio; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Melvin Davisson received his bachelor's degree in | 11 | | civil engineering from the University of Akron and a Master of | 12 | | Science and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of | 13 | | Illinois; he began his career at the University of Illinois as | 14 | | a research assistant in 1956 and moved through the academic | 15 | | ranks to a full professorship in 1971; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, From 1981 to 2000, Melvin Davisson devoted his | 17 | | time to the engineering consulting practice he established in | 18 | | 1958; he was a geotechnical consulting engineer with a | 19 | | distinguished record as a researcher, designer, educator, and | 20 | | member of numerous professional societies; he served on and | 21 | | chaired many committees of various professional organizations | 22 | | with which he was associated; he also taught continuing |
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| 1 | | education courses and was an arbitrator for engineering and | 2 | | construction disputes; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Melvin Davisson published many professional | 4 | | papers and designed and improved specialized construction | 5 | | equipment; he is particularly noted for "The Davisson Limit", a | 6 | | widespread definition of pile failure load; he received many | 7 | | national and international awards for his work on pile driving, | 8 | | including the Distinguished Service Award from the Deep | 9 | | Foundations Institute; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Melvin Davisson enjoyed spending time with his | 11 | | family, reading, fishing, golfing, and teaching; he also had a | 12 | | private pilot license and flew his own plane; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Melvin Davisson was preceded in death by his | 14 | | parents; his daughter, Teresa Lynn Christensen; and his | 15 | | half-sister, Elizabeth Jean (Kenneth) Smith; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Melvin Davisson is survived by his wife of 61 | 17 | | years, Marlene "Mickey"; his son, James Preston "J.P." | 18 | | Davisson; his daughters, Diana Marie Davisson and Kathleen | 19 | | Elaine Davisson; his son-in-law, Rex Alan Christensen; his | 20 | | step-grandchildren, Andrea Gibbs Christensen and Stephanie | 21 | | Brook Purvis (John); and his step-great-grandchildren, Sophia | 22 | | and John; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his | 3 | | family and friends, mourn the passing of Melvin Thomas "Tom" | 4 | | Davisson; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | presented to the family of Melvin Davisson as an expression of | 7 | | our sympathy.
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