Bill Text: OR SCR202 | 2012 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memoriam: Mark Hatfield, 1922-2011.
Sponsorship: Broadly Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2012-02-28 - Filed With Secretary of State. [SCR202 Detail]
Download: Oregon-2012-SCR202-Enrolled.html
76th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2012 Regular Session
Enrolled
Senate Concurrent Resolution 202
Sponsored by Senators COURTNEY, ROSENBAUM, FERRIOLI, SHIELDS;
Senators ATKINSON, BATES, BEYER, BOQUIST, BURDICK, DEVLIN,
EDWARDS, GEORGE, GIROD, HASS, JOHNSON, KRUSE, MONNES ANDERSON,
MONROE, MORSE, OLSEN, PROZANSKI, STARR, STEINER HAYWARD,
TELFER, VERGER, WINTERS, Representatives GREENLICK, WINGARD
(Presession filed.)
Whereas United States Senator Mark Odom Hatfield was born in
Dallas, Oregon, on July 12, 1922, the only son of Charles Dolen
Hatfield, a blacksmith for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and
Dovie Odom Hatfield, a schoolteacher; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield loved the State of Oregon for its
character and the people of Oregon for their individuality; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was a natural conciliator who brought
people together; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was an exceptional family man, devoted
to his wife, Antoinette, and to his four children, Elizabeth,
Theresa, Mark and Visko; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was a deeply religious man who was
guided by his strong faith; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield, when he was a freshman at Willamette
University, joined the Naval Reserve immediately after the attack
on Pearl Harbor in 1941; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield accelerated his political science
studies in order to begin combat training by late 1943; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield participated in the invasions of Iwo
Jima and Okinawa as an ensign on an amphibious landing craft; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was part of the fleet that accompanied
General MacArthur to Japan for the Allied occupation of that
country; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield witnessed the effects of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima within a month of the bombing; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield, after serving in Japan, served in
French Indochina, where he observed firsthand the economic
disparity between the native Vietnamese and the colonial French;
and
Whereas Senator Hatfield's military experiences helped to
formulate his later policies; and
Whereas after serving in the military, Senator Hatfield
obtained a master's degree in political science from Stanford
University; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield returned to Willamette University as
an associate professor of political science, where he taught from
1949 to 1956; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield served as dean of students at
Willamette University from 1950 to 1956; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield loved mentoring and teaching, which he
demonstrated through his interactions with both students and
staff members; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield first represented Oregonians in 1951
as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, a position to
which he was reelected and that he held for four years; and
Enrolled Senate Concurrent Resolution 202 (SCR 202-INTRO) Page 1
Whereas Senator Hatfield continued to represent Oregonians as a
member of the Oregon State Senate from 1955 to 1957; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield followed his tenure as state Senator
by becoming the youngest Secretary of State in Oregon history, a
position that he held until 1959; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was elected as Governor in 1958, the
youngest person to hold that position in Oregon history; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was reelected in 1962, making him the
first two-term Governor of Oregon in the twentieth century; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield presided over the construction of
Oregon's interstate highway system; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield expanded Oregon's state park system
and spearheaded a range of environmental policies, including fish
conservation and pollution control; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield created the statewide community
college system and raised teacher salaries as part of his '
payrolls and playgrounds' campaign; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield created a public defender system; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield increased workers' compensation
benefits; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield continued to represent Oregonians
after his second term as Governor by being elected to the United
States Senate; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield was a United States Senator for a
total of 30 years, making him Oregon's longest serving United
States Senator; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield championed civil rights and urged
improvements to health, education and social service programs,
making it a priority to address 'the desperate human needs in our
midst'; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield favored decentralizing government and
using 'neighborhood government' to encourage participatory
democracy; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield had innovative ideas for making
government more representative of the people, such as eliminating
the Electoral College; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield fought earnestly throughout his career
for the conservation of natural resources, including
reforestation practices, the development of alternative sources
of energy and pollution control; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield, as a member of the Indian Review
Commission, was a longtime defender of Native Americans, fighting
to protect treaty rights on tribal lands; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield disliked the trappings of politics and
refused to compromise his values and his constituents' needs; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield used his extraordinary intelligence
and pragmatism to discern what was most important about each
political issue before him; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield is known now, as he was known
throughout his life, as an independent legislator who voted his
conscience; and
Whereas Senator Hatfield died peacefully on August 7, 2011, at
the age of 89; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of
Oregon:
That we, the members of the Seventy-sixth Legislative Assembly,
express our gratitude for United States Senator Mark Odom
Enrolled Senate Concurrent Resolution 202 (SCR 202-INTRO) Page 2
Hatfield's lifelong service to the people of Oregon; and be it
further
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be presented with our
condolences to Senator Hatfield's family.
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Adopted by Senate February 14,
2012
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Robert Taylor, Secretary of
Senate
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Peter Courtney, President of
Senate
Adopted by House February 24,
2012
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Bruce Hanna, Speaker of House
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Arnie Roblan, Speaker of House
Enrolled Senate Concurrent Resolution 202 (SCR 202-INTRO) Page 3
