Bill Text: IL SR2265 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of William Patrick "Bill" Myers of Champaign.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-11-16 - Resolution Adopted [SR2265 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-SR2265-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of William Patrick "Bill" Myers of | ||||||
4 | Champaign, who passed away on September 30, 2016; and
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5 | WHEREAS, William Myers was born on July 27, 1930 in Omaha, | ||||||
6 | Nebraska; his parents were Arthur and Esther Myers; and
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7 | WHEREAS, William Myers and his family moved to Chicago in | ||||||
8 | the mid-1930s and he helped support his family by shining | ||||||
9 | shoes, selling newspapers, and pedaling a bicycle ice cream | ||||||
10 | cart; during his free time, he enjoyed swimming and playing | ||||||
11 | baseball and "street football"; after his mother died in 1942, | ||||||
12 | he and his siblings went to live in Angel Guardian Orphanage, | ||||||
13 | where he attended school until 1946; he then lived with his | ||||||
14 | aunt and uncle, Ruth and Fred Rueckhardt, while attending | ||||||
15 | Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago and Iowa State Teacher's | ||||||
16 | College (now Northern Iowa University); and
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17 | WHEREAS, In 1952, William Myers enlisted in the United | ||||||
18 | States Army, where he served as a mess sergeant and grill cook | ||||||
19 | at the Officer's Club at Fort Leonard Wood; and
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20 | WHEREAS, From 1954 to 1956, William Myers attended the | ||||||
21 | University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a |
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1 | bachelor's degree in restaurant management; he later worked in | ||||||
2 | management positions with the Stouffer's Restaurant | ||||||
3 | Corporation in Chicago and New York from 1956 to 1959; he also | ||||||
4 | served as the associate director of housing at the University | ||||||
5 | of Illinois from 1959 to 1966 and as the food service manager | ||||||
6 | of residence halls at Stanford University from 1966 to 1972; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, In 1966, prior to accepting the job at Stanford | ||||||
9 | University, William Myers and two other men formed Franchise | ||||||
10 | Management Systems, an Arby's Restaurant franchise, in | ||||||
11 | Champaign; as founder, owner, and president of FMS, he was one | ||||||
12 | of the original Arby's franchisees; over the years, the | ||||||
13 | business expanded to include two Champaign-area restaurants, | ||||||
14 | Abigail's and Country Inn, as well as 16 Arby's, three G.D. | ||||||
15 | Ritzy's, and three Daddy-O's Restaurants in Champaign-Urbana, | ||||||
16 | Danville, Bradley, Bourbonnais, Peoria, and Moline, as well as | ||||||
17 | Davenport, Bettendorf, and Muscatine, Iowa; and
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18 | WHEREAS, William Myers was well known as a businessman, | ||||||
19 | mentor, and philanthropist until his semi-retirement in 2011, | ||||||
20 | when he became chairman of the board at FMS; after his full | ||||||
21 | retirement in 2015, he continued his philanthropic activities | ||||||
22 | through the William P. Myers Foundation; in 1981, he | ||||||
23 | established the William P. Myers Education Fund to assist | ||||||
24 | Cunningham Children's Home youths with education and job |
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1 | training beyond the high school level; he supported other | ||||||
2 | Cunningham projects, such as participating in the annual | ||||||
3 | Kendall Gill Golf Outing, volunteering for and attending | ||||||
4 | Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations, supporting music and | ||||||
5 | recreational programs, and making a major gift commitment to | ||||||
6 | their $15 million Lighting the Way Capital Campaign; he | ||||||
7 | provided food, funding, and equipment for the Special Olympics; | ||||||
8 | he served as a mentor, counselor, and adviser at L.W.'s Place, | ||||||
9 | a drug and alcohol treatment center in Champaign; he donated | ||||||
10 | his time as a counselor and community advocate for Family Life | ||||||
11 | Skills Learning Center, a faith-based agency that teaches | ||||||
12 | individuals how to stop the cycle of abuse and build a healthy | ||||||
13 | home; he provided food, money, and monthly volunteer staffing | ||||||
14 | for the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign; he provided | ||||||
15 | educational and job training programs at FMS, which hired | ||||||
16 | individuals with developmental disabilities and worked | ||||||
17 | directly with high school students in School-to-Work programs; | ||||||
18 | he also granted food service scholarships at the University of | ||||||
19 | Illinois, Northern Iowa University, Parkland Community | ||||||
20 | College, and Danville Area Community College; and
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21 | WHEREAS, William Myers is survived by his wife, Adele; his | ||||||
22 | children, Nathalie Pearson and Mark (Renee) Myers; his | ||||||
23 | stepchildren, Elizabeth (Andy) Varner, Jane (Trent) England, | ||||||
24 | Mike (Kari) Pankey, and Tim Pankey; and his grandchildren, | ||||||
25 | Jessica Pearson, Kathleen Varner, Michael Varner, Grace |
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1 | Pankey, Kate Pankey, and Joe Pankey; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | ||||||
3 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his | ||||||
4 | family and friends, mourn the passing of William Patrick "Bill" | ||||||
5 | Myers; and be it further
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6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
7 | presented to the family of William Myers as an expression of | ||||||
8 | our sympathy.
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