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1		SENATE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3		learn of the death of Burton E. "Burt" Swanson Ph.D. of
4		Champaign, who passed away on April 23, 2020; and
5		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson was born in Bureau County to Harlan
6		and Evelyn (Wessel) Swanson on November 28, 1939; he grew up on
7		the family farm near Princeton and graduated from Bureau
8		Township High School in 1957 in a class of eight; he attended
9		Illinois State University and then the University of Illinois,
10		where he received his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural
11		Education in 1961; and
12		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson joined the Peace Corps and took his
13		very first air flight, traveling to Washington, D.C. for
14		training at Howard University; after training, he took his
15		first international flight to his assignment in Cyprus; he was
16		called home to Washington at the death of President John
17		Kennedy and continued to serve in the Peace Corps as a
18		recruiting officer; and
19		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson earned his Master of Science in
20		International Agricultural Development from the University of
21		California-Davis in 1968 and his Ph.D. in development studies
22		from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1974; during

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1		this time, he worked with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman
2		Borlaug at CIMMYT (the International Maize and Wheat
3		Improvement Center) in Mexico; after earning a postdoctorate at
4		Wisconsin, he accepted a position at the University of Illinois
5		in 1975, where he remained for his entire academic and
6		international career; and
7		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson was a professor of rural development
8		in the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental
9		Sciences (ACES) and director of INTERPAKS (International
10		Program for Agricultural Knowledge Systems), directing and
11		teaching a series of short courses for international
12		participants from around the world; he was also a senior fellow
13		for International Service for National Agricultural Research
14		at The Hague; and
15		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson had a long and distinguished career
16		in international agricultural extension and rural development
17		and is recognized as an international authority in the field;
18		he traveled around the world, serving in Europe, the Middle
19		East, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Egypt, and Russia and
20		working extensively in China and India, with 80 assignments in
21		over 35 countries; he spent his career working to improve
22		national extension systems in order to increase agricultural
23		productivity and food security in developing nations, in an
24		environmentally sustainable way; among his colleagues, he was

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1		known for his intense focus and tireless work ethic; and
2		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson worked with the United States Agency
3		for International Development (USAID), the International Fund
4		for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, and the
5		United Nations Food and Agriculture Office (FAO) in Rome; he
6		was a founder and the first president of the Association of
7		International Agricultural Extension Education (AIAEE); he
8		wrote and edited several books, one of which was translated
9		into seven languages; and
10		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson provided leadership for the
11		value-added agricultural research and extension program at the
12		University of Illinois; he also taught a discovery course for
13		freshmen at the university and delighted in sharing with new
14		students his in-depth knowledge and insights about the world
15		and its problems and what their future roles in that world
16		might be; he secured a $9 million dollar grant in 2010 to
17		establish the MEAS project (Modernizing Extension and Advisory
18		Services); and
19		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson received numerous national and
20		international awards, including the University of Illinois
21		Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement, the
22		Paul A. Funk Recognition Award from the College of ACES, the
23		C-U International Humanitarian Award, and the Outstanding

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1		Service Award from AIAEE; and
2		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson was devoted to his children and
3		cherished his family and the time spent with them; he was an
4		extraordinary, generous, and loving grandfather; he loved
5		attending the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, scuba
6		diving and swimming, traveling just for fun, enjoying the
7		beauty of Allerton Park, supporting his favorite causes, and
8		spending time with his many friends and colleagues; and
9		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson was preceded in death by his parents;
10		his sister-in-law, Sylvia Swanson; and his son-in-law, Alan
11		Rankin; and
12		WHEREAS, Burt Swanson is survived by his wife, Iris
13		(Arend-Frillman); his daughter, Anne Swanson; his son, David
14		(Sally); his granddaughters, Sophia and Alyssa; his brother,
15		Roger Swanson; his wife's family, Leslie (Alan) Rankin, Jamie
16		(Brian) Shamhart, and Scott (Christine) Frillman; his
17		grandsons, Miles and Seth Rankin, Nicholas, Jason, and Will
18		Frillman and Cole Shamhart; his nephews, Ronald (Dawn) Swanson
19		and Peter (Connie) Swanson; and his great-nieces and
20		great-nephew, Betsy, Erica, Veronica, Nicole, Natalie, and
21		Nate Swanson; therefore, be it
22		RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL

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1		ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
2		Burton E. "Burt" Swanson and extend our sincere condolences to
3		his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
4		further
5		RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6		presented to the family of Burt Swanson as an expression of our
7		deepest sympathy.