2011 -- S 1103 ======Lc03014 ======State of Rhode Island
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2011 -- S 1103 ======= LC03014 ======= STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2011 ____________ S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N EXPRESSING PROFOUND SYMPATHY ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE BRUCE GEORGE SUNDLUN Introduced By: Senators Paiva Weed, Ruggerio, and Goodwin Date Introduced: October 03, 2011 Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration 1 WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of The 2 Honorable Bruce Sundlun. Highly respected and often larger-than-life, he was an aviator, a 3 lawyer, a businessman, a media mogul, a teacher, a decorated soldier, a husband and father, and 4 Rhode Island's governor from 1991 to 1995; and 5 WHEREAS, Born on the 19th of January in Providence, Rhode Island, Bruce George 6 Sundlun was the first child of Jan and Walter Sundlun. He was the husband of Soozie Sundlun 7 and the father of three sons, Tracey, Stuart, and Peter Sundlun and his wife, Karen, and one 8 daughter, Kara Sundlun House and her husband, Dennis House. He was also the step-father of 9 Heather and Ray Conover and Max Dittelman, and the grandfather of four grandchildren and two 10 step-grandchildren; and 11 WHEREAS, Mr. Sundlun attended the Gordon School and Providence’s Classical High 12 School, leaving Classical after his junior year to attend the Tabor Academy. He entered Williams 13 College in September of 1938 and upon graduation, enlisted and served his country with honor 14 and distinction as a pilot during World War II; and 15 WHEREAS, In 1943, while on his 13th bombing run over Germany, Mr. Sundlun was 16 shot down over Nazi-occupied Belgium. He eventually made his way to safety after five months 17 of evading capture, during which time he connected with the Belgian Underground and joined the 18 Maquis, a branch of the French Resistance. He was later awarded the Purple Heart, the 19 Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster from the United States, and the 1 Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur from the Republic of France; and 2 WHEREAS, After returning stateside, Mr. Sundlun attained his law degree from Harvard 3 University and began practicing law. He served from 1949 to 1951 as an Assistant United States 4 Attorney, and from 1954 to 1972 as Special Assistant to the United States Attorney General; and 5 WHEREAS, From the 1960s through the 1990s, The Honorable Bruce Sundlun built a 6 reputation as a savvy and successful businessman, and in 1991, after a landslide victory, he was 7 sworn in as the 71st Governor of Rhode Island; and 8 WHEREAS, Immediately confronted with almost insurmountable challenges, then 9 Governor Sundlun learned of the collapse of the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity 10 Corp., which insured 45 banks and credit unions, on the eve of his inauguration; and 11 WHEREAS, Through his innate business acumen and strong leadership, Governor 12 Sundlun faced, calmed, and successfully resolved the banking crisis that had threatened thousands 13 of depositors with the possible loss of their life savings; and 14 WHEREAS, During his two terms as Rhode Island's governor, The Honorable Bruce 15 Sundlun also worked for the renovation and expansion of the terminal at T.F. Green Airport, 16 which was later named in his honor, led a major overhaul of the state Workers’ Compensation 17 System, and started the state’s RiteCare program; and 18 WHEREAS, The Honorable Bruce Sundlun continued to live an active and often public 19 life well into his eighties, speaking as a guest lecturer, writing, and continuing to promote 20 innumerable ideas to enhance and improve life in our Ocean State; and 21 WHEREAS, Described as “determined, driven, courageous, charming, combative, self- 22 assured, irrepressible and uncompromisingly dedicated to principle,” The Honorable Bruce 23 Sundlun will forever be remembered for his extraordinary leadership, his deep commitment to 24 serving the citizens of the State of Rhode Island and the United States, and for a life well and 25 fully lived; now, therefore be it 26 RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 27 hereby expresses our deepest sympathies to the entire Sundlun Family on the passing of The 28 Honorable Bruce Sundlun; and be it further 29 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to 30 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Soozie Sundlun and Family. ======= LC03014 ======= 2 .