Bill Text: IL HR0111 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Honors Melvin J. Larson for his 54 years of dedicated service as a board member and founder of United Cerebral Palsy of Will County, now UCP of Illinois Prairieland.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2009-02-24 - Resolution Adopted [HR0111 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-HR0111-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to honor Melvin J. Larson for his | ||||||
4 | 54 years of dedicated service as a board member and founder of | ||||||
5 | United Cerebral Palsy of Will County, now UPC of Illinois | ||||||
6 | Prairieland; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson was born on May 28, 1914 on a farm | ||||||
8 | in the rural Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota; he | ||||||
9 | attended and graduated from a one-room school of 30 students | ||||||
10 | for all 8 grades; he left school at age 14 to work on the family | ||||||
11 | farm; he entered high school at the age of 21 and graduated in | ||||||
12 | 1938 at the age of 25; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson attended college at Concordia | ||||||
14 | College in Morehead, Minnesota, receiving his bachelor's | ||||||
15 | degree in chemistry in 1942; he then performed graduate studies | ||||||
16 | at the University of Minnesota, and then attended the | ||||||
17 | University of Chicago, where he received his master's degree in | ||||||
18 | higher education in 1952; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson was employed as a research chemist | ||||||
20 | with the Lindsay Chemical Company from 1942 to 1945; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson has had a long and distinguished |
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1 | career in education; he began his career as an instructor in | ||||||
2 | chemistry at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, | ||||||
3 | serving from 1946 to 1948; he served as the chairperson of the | ||||||
4 | chemistry department at Waldorf Junior College in Forest City, | ||||||
5 | Iowa from 1948 to 1949; he was the assistant to the academic | ||||||
6 | dean at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota from 1949 to | ||||||
7 | 1951; he served as an instructor of chemistry at Joliet Junior | ||||||
8 | College from 1954 to 1956, chairman of the college's Department | ||||||
9 | of Chemistry from 1956 to 1965, and chairman of the college's | ||||||
10 | Department of Physical Sciences from 1965 until 1979, when he | ||||||
11 | became a professor emeritus at the college; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson is the proud founder and 54-year | ||||||
13 | member of the United Cerebral Palsy affiliate in Will County | ||||||
14 | and was responsible for the organization's initial inquiries of | ||||||
15 | local families of children with cerebral palsy and the | ||||||
16 | initiation of grassroots community efforts to provide | ||||||
17 | essential services for the children; starting out as a | ||||||
18 | classroom for six children in a Joliet grad school, the | ||||||
19 | organization now operates a school for 60 children between the | ||||||
20 | ages of 3 and 22 which provides comprehensive educational and | ||||||
21 | therapeutic programs for children with profound developmental | ||||||
22 | disabilities; Mr. Larson has served on the organization's Board | ||||||
23 | of Directors since 1955 and has served in all of the | ||||||
24 | organization's offices; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson is a member of numerous professional | ||||||
2 | and community organizations, including the American Chemical | ||||||
3 | Society, the American Association of University Professors, | ||||||
4 | the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Rotary Club, | ||||||
5 | the Lions Club, the Elks Club, and the Joliet Family Counseling | ||||||
6 | Agency; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Melvin Larson serves as a model of hard work, | ||||||
8 | integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of | ||||||
9 | Illinois; therefore, be it
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10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
11 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
12 | honor Melvin J. Larson for his many years of dedicated service | ||||||
13 | with United Cerebral Palsy of Will County and wish him | ||||||
14 | continued success and happiness in his future endeavors; and be | ||||||
15 | it further
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16 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | presented to Melvin Larson as a symbol of our esteem and | ||||||
18 | respect.
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