Bill Text: IL HR0819 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of W. Russell Withers, Jr. of Mt. Vernon.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-02-18 - Resolution Adopted [HR0819 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HR0819-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 saddened to learn of the death of W. | ||||||
4 | Russell Withers, Jr. of Mt. Vernon, who passed away on January | ||||||
5 | 24, 2014; and
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6 | WHEREAS, W. Russell Withers, Jr. was born on December 10, | ||||||
7 | 1936 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri; his parents were W.R. | ||||||
8 | Withers, Sr. and Ruth H. Withers; and
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9 | WHEREAS, W. Russell Withers, Jr. was the founder of the | ||||||
10 | Withers Broadcasting Companies; and
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11 | WHEREAS, W. Russell Withers, Jr. was a member of Mt. Vernon | ||||||
12 | Masonic Lodge 31, Scottish Rites/Valley of Southern Illinois in | ||||||
13 | Belleville, the Jefferson County Shrine Club of Mt. Vernon, and | ||||||
14 | Shrine International - AINAD, AINAD Shrine Center, East St. | ||||||
15 | Louis; he was a board member of the Mt. Vernon Convention and | ||||||
16 | Visitors Bureau and the Mt. Vernon Industrial Development | ||||||
17 | Commission; he was a board member and one of the founders of | ||||||
18 | Crime Stoppers of Jefferson County; he served as chairman of | ||||||
19 | the Mt. Vernon Airport Authority and the Illinois Public | ||||||
20 | Airport Association; he was a board member and chairman of the | ||||||
21 | radio board of the National Association of Broadcasters | ||||||
22 | representing Illinois; he was a member of the executive |
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1 | committee and co-chairman of the National Association of | ||||||
2 | Broadcasters Political Action Committee, a national trustee | ||||||
3 | for the organization for the past 20 years, and a leading | ||||||
4 | fundraiser for the organization; he was a member of the | ||||||
5 | Congressional Relations Committee; he was a board member of the | ||||||
6 | Library of American Broadcasting, the Associated Press | ||||||
7 | Broadcast Board, SAGA Communications, and Redlands Water and | ||||||
8 | Power; he was a member of the board of trustees at Lincoln | ||||||
9 | Academy of Illinois in Springfield since 1993 and was elected | ||||||
10 | as Regent by the board in 1998; he was an executive board | ||||||
11 | member of the Boy Scouts of America for Western Colorado; he | ||||||
12 | was also chairman of the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and a | ||||||
13 | board member of the Radio Music License Committee; and
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14 | WHEREAS, W. Russell Withers, Jr. was the recipient of | ||||||
15 | numerous awards and honors, including the Mt. Vernon Citizen of | ||||||
16 | the Year award, the Wally Jorgensen Award, the Broadcasters | ||||||
17 | Foundation's 2003 American Broadcast Pioneer Award, the | ||||||
18 | Illinois Broadcasters Association's Broadcaster of the Year | ||||||
19 | award, the West Virginia Broadcasters Association's | ||||||
20 | Broadcaster of the Year award, the Heritage Award from the | ||||||
21 | Jefferson County African American Heritage Committee, the | ||||||
22 | Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Merit Award, the | ||||||
23 | Sigma Chi Fraternity Distinguished Significant Sig Award, and | ||||||
24 | the Honor of Order of Lincoln, Illinois highest honor for | ||||||
25 | professional accomplishments and public service; he was also |
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1 | listed in the Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in | ||||||
2 | America, Who's Who in Entertainment, and Who's Who in the | ||||||
3 | World; and
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4 | WHEREAS, W. Russell Withers, Jr. was preceded in death by | ||||||
5 | his parents; and
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6 | WHEREAS, W. Russell Withers, Jr. is survived by his | ||||||
7 | daughter, Dana R. Withers; his stepson, David Lister; his | ||||||
8 | stepdaughters, Diana Lister and Celeste Hunt; his sister, Lindi | ||||||
9 | W. Janes; and his brothers, Richard Kent Withers, James K. | ||||||
10 | (Pam) Withers, and William J. (Victoria) Withers; therefore, be | ||||||
11 | it
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12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
13 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
14 | we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of W. | ||||||
15 | Russell Withers, Jr.; and be it further
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16 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | presented to the family of W. Russell Withers, Jr. as an | ||||||
18 | expression of our sympathy.
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