HR0260 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0260 LRB101 11794 ALS 58571 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of John Robert Power of Jacksonville, who passed away on October 9, 2018; and

WHEREAS, John Power was born in Jacksonville to Carl Otto Power Jr. and Camille Dennehy on March 22, 1949; he graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1967; in 1973, he received a degree in English from Illinois College, where he served as president of the Sigma Pi literary society, led staff as editor of the campus newspaper, The Rambler, and participated as a member of the IC Forum; in 1969, he received the Paul E. Watkins Journalism Prize, and while in college, worked as a wire editor for the Journal-Courier; he married Judith Susan Fay in Washington, D.C. in 1978; and

WHEREAS, After college, John Power worked his way up from reporter to city editor in the Journal-Courier newsroom; when his father-in-law retired in 1982, he became publisher, and the Journal-Courier was modernized in every respect, including the installation of a new press in 1992; he oversaw the assembly of a talented and loyal staff, and under his direction, the newspaper won many awards for its editorial content, design, photography, and reproduction quality; he was especially proud of a 14-section, 200-page special edition titled, "A Journey Through Time: Jacksonville 1825-2000"; and

WHEREAS, John Power was an active civic leader for many decades, serving as past president of the Illinois State Historical Society and as chairman of its Finance Committee; he was a former member of the boards of directors of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, the Illinois Humanities Council, the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Jacksonville Main Street; he was also a past chairman of the Governor's Task Force of Historic Preservation, a past president and treasurer of the Morgan County Historical Society, a past chairman of the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, and treasurer of the Governor Duncan Association; he was a past president of the Jacksonville Rotary Club, a trustee of Sigma Pi Society of Illinois College, a member of the Illinois College Board of Trustees, a member of the board of directors of the Jacksonville Area Economic Development Corporation, a member of the federal government's Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Advisory Board, and one of the three founders of the West Plains Investors, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, John Power was involved in the Corridor 67 initiative, a grassroots lobbying effort to enhance the highway stretching from Alton to Macomb from two lanes to four; and

WHEREAS, John Power was an avid genealogical researcher and spent much of his time immersed in the history of Jacksonville, Morgan County, and the State of Illinois; he spent many summers working on Chautauqua and looked forward to running the Ferris wheel; he enjoyed traveling with the Rotary Club and his family, including to India, Israel, Egypt, Nigeria, and Peru; he was an avid reader and collector of books, maps, antiques, and assorted pieces of history; he was a dedicated member of Trinity Episcopal Church of Jacksonville; and

WHEREAS, John Power was preceded in death by his wife, Judith; and

WHEREAS, John Power is survived by his daughter, Phoebe (Steven) Power Googe; his son, Litton Power; his granddaughter, Isabel Fay; and his many lifelong friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of John Robert Power and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of John Power as an expression of our deepest sympathy.