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90_HR0382
LRB9011936KBkb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Janie Faye Wham opened The Smart Shop in
3 Centralia on September 1, 1935, and has successfully run this
4 highly regarded ladies' apparel store since that day; and
5 WHEREAS, At the age of 91, after 63 years in retailing
6 she has decided to move into another chapter in her life; and
7 WHEREAS, Her "Smart Shop Chatter" column, which once
8 garnered among the highest readership ratings in a national
9 newspaper survey, was universally loved and read not only in
10 Centralia but in many areas of the United States; and
11 WHEREAS, She has worked tirelessly and given generously
12 for the betterment of the downtown business community in
13 Centralia; and
14 WHEREAS, She has been an active member of professional
15 and retail industry organizations such as the Association of
16 Business and Professional Women, and served as the first
17 female director of both the Illinois Retail Merchants
18 Association and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce; and
19 WHEREAS, She has been an ardent supporter of and
20 contributor to numerous civic concerns throughout southern
21 Illinois, including the construction of a new facility for
22 the Centralia Cultural Society and the establishment of the
23 Mitchell Museum in Mount Vernon; and
24 WHEREAS, She and her late husband, John Page Wham, have
25 been especially generous in their support of educational
26 institutions, including Kaskaskia College and Southern
27 Illinois University and its branches, offering not only their
28 time and talents to the University's Foundation Boards but
29 providing financial support for physical facilities as well
30 as scholarships to numerous students who would otherwise not
31 have been able to obtain higher education; and
-2- LRB9011936KBkb
1 WHEREAS, She has been a devout parishioner of both the
2 First Baptist and United Methodist Churches of Centralia, and
3 has helped in the development of the Christian faith for
4 generations of neighbors as a Sunday School teacher for
5 twenty-five years; and
6 WHEREAS, She has been honored by her industry and
7 community for these accomplishments and contributions, having
8 received the 1967 Outstanding Civic Leader of America, 1980
9 Beta Sigma Phi National Woman of the Year, 1982 Illinois
10 Retailer of the Year, American Association of University
11 Women 1982 Senior Citizen, 1986 BPW Outstanding Working Woman
12 of Illinois, and the 1995 Governor's Certificate of Lifetime
13 Achievement Awards, among many other awards; therefore, be it
14 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
16 wish Janie Faye Wham all the best as she begins a new part of
17 her life; by her example, we see the best that hard work and
18 dedication can bring forth; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20 presented to Janie Faye Wham, along with our warmest regards.