SR0955 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0955 LRB097 23244 GRL 72070 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Ken J. McNatt, who passed away on September 4, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Ken McNatt was born and raised in Loveland, Colorado; he married his wife, Dolores, in 1954; and

WHEREAS, Ken McNatt left college in 1942 to join the United States Navy, where he became a pilot in the Pacific theater during World War II and rose up to the rank of lieutenant junior grade; while wounded, he successfully landed his badly damaged plane after the plane's pilot had been shot and killed, an action that saved the lives of 4 other crew members; he received a Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal, among other awards, for his bravery; and

WHEREAS, After the war, Ken McNatt finished college at the University of Denver in 1948 and then began a career in the sales department at Exxon; he retired after 35 years of service in 1983; and

WHEREAS, After moving to Wheaton in 1965, Ken McNatt became involved in a broad range of service activities; he served as president of the Arrowhead Homeowners Association and was a township precinct committeeman; and

WHEREAS, In 1975, Ken McNatt joined the Warrenville Fire Protection District board; over the next 36 years, he helped oversee the transformation of the district from an all-volunteer department to a much more professionally managed district with a partially paid staff; he remained the district's trustee emeritus after stepping down from the board in 2011; in 1989, he was elected to serve as a trustee in Milton Township, where he served 4 terms before retiring in 2005; as a trustee, he won broad support in 1998 for his formation of the senior-oriented Salt program; and

WHEREAS, Ken McNatt was a recipient of the senior Good Citizen award from the City of Wheaton in 2009 and was named a veteran of the month by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Ken McNatt is survived by his wife; his daughters, Gwen McNatt and Mary Helen Gibson; his 6 grandchildren; and his great-grandchild; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Ken J. McNatt; and be it further

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