HR1378

LRB094 21092 HSS 59420 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 
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State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Bill Wills, 
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editorial page editor of the Bloomington Pantagraph, on the 
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occasion of his retirement after nearly 44 years of service; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Wills started with the Pantagraph in November 
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of 1962 as an office boy; he went on to serve as police and fire 
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reporter and then to cover Bloomington city government; he was 
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named the Pantagraph Employee of the Year by his fellow workers 
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in 1971; from 1975 to 1977, he was the coordinator of 
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Bloomington, Normal, and McLean County government coverage; 
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and
 
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    WHEREAS, He moved into the editorial ranks in 1977, when he 
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became city editor; he then went on to serve as metro editor, 
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assistant managing editor/news, managing editor, managing 
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editor/editorial, and finally as editorial page editor; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He is an award-winning reporter and photographer 
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and has served on committees of the Associated Press Managing 
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Editors Association; he was a member of the Editorial Steering 
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Committee of the Illinois Press Association and the Board of 
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Directors of the Mid-America Press Institute; he served with 
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the Illinois AP Editors, twice as president, and at one time he 
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held the longest consecutive board term at 12 years; he has 
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been a Penny-Missouri Judge, a member of the Journalist in 
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Space regional screening committee, and a member of the board 
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of directors of the Illinois Editors Highway Safety Conference; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, He has served as president of the Pantagraphers 
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Federal Credit Union and on the Audit Committee and Credit 
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Committee; and
 
 


 






HR1378
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LRB094 21092 HSS 59420 r




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    WHEREAS, Active in the community, Mr. Wills is a former 
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president of the Bloomington Rotary Club, a former secretary of 
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the Bloomington Rotary Club Foundation, and is a Rotary Paul 
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Harris Fellow, the highest honor given by Rotary; he has served 
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on the OSF St. Joseph Regional Medical Center Community Board, 
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the board of the McLean County chapter of the American Cancer 
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Society, the advisory board and audit committee of the 
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Centrillio Girl Scouts Council, the local chapter of the 
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National Issues Forum Committee, and the Bloomington 
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All-American City Committee; he is a former co-president with 
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his wife of the Bloomington Senior High School Booster Club and 
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is one of the founders of the Booster Club's annual steak fry 
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fundraiser; he served on the ISU Students in Free Enterprise 
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Advisory Board, on the Four Seasons Association board, and on 
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the founding committee of the annual Christmas Party for 
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Children of the Unemployed of McLean County for ten years; he 
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has been a member of Ambucs and on the board of the Adlai 
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Stevenson Lecture Series; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He is a native of Mahomet and a graduate of 
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Mahomet High School; he married his wife, Phyllis, in 1962, and 
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they are the parents of Teri, Rick, and Mike and grandparents 
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of five; therefore, be it
 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we congratulate Bill Wills on the occasion of his retirement; 
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and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Mr. Wills as an expression of our esteem and with 
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best wishes for a relaxing retirement.