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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois 
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learned with regret of the death of Charles George Whinfrey, 
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Jr., of Geneva on Tuesday, March 29, 2005; and
 

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    WHEREAS, He was born on September 11, 1922, in Cleveland, 
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Ohio, to Charles G. Sr. and Myrtle Whinfrey; as a child growing 
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up in New Jersey, he felt the impact of the Great Depression 
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when his family lost everything; he attended Rutgers University 
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for two years before enlisting in the service in 1944; and
 

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    WHEREAS, Mr. Whinfrey valiantly served his country as a 
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member of the U.S. Navy during World War II, when he was 
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commissioned as an officer; he served as captain of the 
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minesweeper USS Reedbird for 16 months off the coast of Pearl 
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Harbor and in the Panama Canal, attaining the rank of 
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lieutenant; and
 

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    WHEREAS, After his military discharge, he enrolled at 
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Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he received a 
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bachelor's degree in science and agriculture; in 1946, he 
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married the former Mary Kirk, his college sweetheart and wife 
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of 59 years; and
 

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    WHEREAS, He began his career in the chemical industry in 
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the sales division of PennSalt Co. in Philadelphia; he was 
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transferred to the company's office in Aurora in 1955, where he 
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worked for several years before becoming a sales manager for 
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Great Lakes Solvent in Chicago; and
 

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    WHEREAS, In 1963, Mr. Whinfrey founded Producers Chemical 
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Co., a chemical distribution company in Batavia; he ran the 
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company for 23 years before turning over the reins to other 
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family members after his retirement in 1986; during the early 
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years, he worked as a one-man operation; when he went on to 
 


 






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employ others in his company, he looked for ways to increase 
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their financial security by offering employee benefits such as 
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a profit-sharing plan, an uncommon thing in the 1960s; and
 

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    WHEREAS, The passing of Charles George Whinfrey, Jr., has 
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been deeply felt by many, especially his wife, Mary; his 
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children, Donald (Virginia) Whinfrey, Peter (Judy) Whinfrey, 
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and Jane (Roger) Harris; his grandchildren, Scott, Abigail, 
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Emily, and Andrew; and his brother, David Whinfrey; therefore, 
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be it
 

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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of 
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Charles George Whinfrey, Jr., and we extend our deepest 
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sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved 
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him; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to his family as an expression of our sincere 
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condolences.