SR0665 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0665 LRB102 22370 MST 31509 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Theo Jean Kenyon of Peoria, who passed away on November 19, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon was born in Peoria to Theo (Younglove) and Eugene Ahrends on September 5, 1922; she graduated from Peoria High School and Northwestern University, where she was the first woman editor of the Daily Northwestern and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society; she married Leslie H. Kenyon on October 23, 1954; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon joined the Peoria Journal Star in 1944 and worked there until 2010 as a reporter, feature writer, and arts critic; her decades-long career at the Journal Star included press coverage of presidential candidates such as Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Governor Adlai Stevenson II; she also reviewed plays, concerts, and art shows; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon loved The New Yorker magazine and taught classes on it for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Bradley University; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon was a charter member and twice president of the Peoria Newspaper Guild and walked the picket line in its strike to acquire health care coverage for its members; she supported the Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation, the Heartland Festival Orchestra, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Lakeview Museum, and the Peoria Art Guild; she was a member of the Universalist Unitarian Church; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon was a generous person and gave wonderful Christmas parties and gifts to friends; she could be counted on to supply treats for any party she attended; she worked with her husband on historic preservation and helped to save The Grand Army of the Republic Hall; in 2015, she donated the funds for the hall's elevator in his honor; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon was preceded in death by her husband, Leslie; and

WHEREAS, Theo Kenyon is survived by several cousins; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Theo Jean Kenyon and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Theo Kenyon as an expression of our deepest sympathy.