SR0212 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0212 LRB097 11721 GRL 54800 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Darrell Wayne Beck of Decatur; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck was born in Carson Township in Fayette County, on February 27, 1933; his parents were Emma and Noble Beck; he married the love of his life, Ursula, on November 14, 1953; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck began a life-long love affair with dancing at a very young age; he studied acrobatic dancing, ballet, and tap; he eventually developed a dedication to ballroom dancing and ultimately, he and Ursula became dance instructors at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck served his country with pride and distinction for four years in the United States Navy; following his stint in the Navy, he moved back to Decatur and began working for McKeever Communications; he eventually became President and CEO at McKeever and began an explosive expansion into wide-area network paging, towers, and cellular phones; after retiring from McKeever in 1993, he began to invest his time and talents and treasures in other philanthropic opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism and subsequently began his devotion to community service; as an active member of St. James Catholic Church, he became involved in the Holy Name Society, Home and School, and the Lay Advisory Board; he was an active volunteer at St. Teresa High School, where he served as President of the Foundation and was the "Voice of the Bulldogs", announcing home football games for 43 years; he and his wife directed and choreographed five musicals and co-chaired two major fundraisers at the school; he also contributed the largest single cash donation by an individual to the school; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck held leadership positions in the Knights of Columbus on the local, state, and national levels; he served as State Deputy for Illinois and was a Supreme Master for the 4th Degree; he served on the international Board of Directors in New Haven, Connecticut; he also called bingo at Council #577 and helped develop the Tootsie Roll Drive that supports the Special Olympics; he subsequently became President of the Board of Directors for Illinois Special Olympics and helped raise over $1 million for the organization; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck and his wife participated in and led many community service organizations, including Easter Seals, the YWCA, the YMCA, Millikin University, Richland Community College, St. Mary's, the Newman Catholic Center, Decatur Pride, the Decatur Park Singers, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, Kiwanis, Sertoma, ROMEO, and Summerstart, St. James, and St. Teresa Schools; he also served on the Board of Directors of CIB Bank, Water Island, and Lincoln Theatre; he was privileged to have nine audiences with Pope John Paul II and to have worked in Mother Teresa's soup kitchen; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck received numerous awards for his work in the community, including the Easter Seals Seal of Excellence Award, the Sertoma Man of the Year award, the Kiwanis Man of the Year award, the Chamber of Commerce Civic Award, and State of Illinois Knights of Columbus Family of the Year award; in 2001, he was the Medallion Society recipient for the 100th Anniversary Outstanding Alumni at Millikin University; he is also the Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck was preceded in death by the love of his life, Ursula, and his sisters, Norma Hebel and Karyn Sue Beck; and

WHEREAS, Darrell Beck is survived by his sons, Mark (Dominique), Matt (Natalie), Dan (Tunde), and Sam (Jennifer); his daughters, Angela (Mary), Amy Bliefnick (Ray), and Maggy Pugh (Brad); his grandchildren, Ted (Rachael), Tim (Becky), Tommy, Christine Chandler (Nate), Stephanie Kreke (Ryan), Emily (Brit Miller), August, Sutton, Estelle, Lillian, Lauryn, and Gracey; his great-grandchildren, Deacon Bliefnick and Macy Miller; his sister, Donna Noel; his brother, Ed; and his many nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the death of Darrell Wayne Beck; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Darrell Beck as a symbol of our sympathy.