Bill Text: IL HR0860 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of General John Randolph Phipps of Mattoon.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2010-02-03 - Resolution Adopted [HR0860 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2009-HR0860-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of John
Randolph Phipps of Mattoon, who passed away December 14, 2009;
and
WHEREAS, He was born May 16, 1919, in Kansas, Illinois, the
son of Charles W. and Ethel K. (Torrance) Phipps; having taken
ROTC at the University of Illinois, he received his graduation
diploma with a BS in Economics, with honors, his commission as
a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army, and his orders to report for duty
to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, all on the same day; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, he served in the Philippines
as an army artillery battery commander; upon returning home, he
joined his brother, Clem and his wife, Claribel, as a partner
in the Phipps Shoe Stores; he married Pauline Prunty on
February 8, 1946; and
WHEREAS, Rather than joining the Reserves at that time, he
dropped his commission as a Major, back to Captain, to organize
Illinois National Guard Company E, 130th Infantry in Mattoon
with 21 men; an armory was built for training, which was later
rededicated in his name; he again performed front line combat
service in the Korean War as an Advisor to Republic of Korea

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(ROK) army troops, where he earned a Silver Star and Combat
Infantry Badge; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, as a citizen soldier, he attended
weekly drills, summer camps, and went to Advanced Military
Schools, including Fort Sill (Artillery), Fort Benning,
Georgia (Infantry); Command and General Staff College,
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; National Defense University,
Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.; Air War College, Maxwell Air
Base, Alabama; Air Safety Course, University of Southern
California; and an orientation tour of American troops in
Europe in 1980; and
WHEREAS, He served as Assistant Adjutant General of the
State of Illinois from 1970-1978, and, in 1971, he earned his
Masters in Public Administration at Sangamon State University
(now the University of Illinois, Springfield); he became the
Adjutant General in 1978, serving until his retirement in 1983,
after 42 years of commissioned military service; he continued
in community service thereafter, serving for 13 years on the
Coles County Board of Review; he was active in his church and
multiple service clubs; and
WHEREAS, At the time of his passing, he was a member of the
First Presbyterian Church, Rotary Club, Exchange Club, a
director on the boards of the Lincoln/Sargent Farm Foundation,

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the Thomas Lincoln Cemetery Association, and a member of the
Mattoon Golf and Country Club; he also had life memberships in
the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 40 & 8, the
National Guard Association, and the University of Illinois
Alumni Association; he had taken the time to write two books,
"Citizen-Soldier" and its sequel, for the benefit of his
grandchildren and progeny; and
WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles
Winslow Phipps and Ethel Kelsey (Torrance) Phipps; his
brothers, Horace (Joe) Torrance Phipps and wife, Marian
(Sheridan) Phipps, and Clem Gordon Phipps and wife, Claribel
(Gant) Phipps; his sister, Carolyn Belle Phipps; and his
daughter, Kelsey Selander Phipps; and
WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Pauline
(Prunty) Phipps; his son, Charles Winslow Phipps and wife, Gail
Bankemper Phipps; his granddaughter, Cristen Phipps; and his
grandsons, John Randolph Phipps II, Nathan Matthew Phipps,
Derek Brandon Selander, and Kurt Bradley Selander; therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
mourn, along with his family, friends, and a grateful nation,
the passing of General Phipps; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of John Phipps as a symbol of our
sincere sympathy.