Bill Text: IL HR0415 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Oren "Lou" Lowder of Springfield.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-24 - Resolution Adopted [HR0415 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HR0415-Introduced.html

---

HR0415 LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Oren
"Lou" Lowder of Springfield, who passed away on May 8, 2019;
and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder was born on March 18, 1925 in Virden;
he always liked to say he came in with a bang, as the date of
his birth was also the date of the most devastating tornado in
the history of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder was born in the heart of coal country
into a generational coal family; he was also born on the eve of
the Great Depression, when life was a struggle, work was hard,
and wages were meek, at best; at the age of 3, life got even
harder for his family when his father was killed in a coal mine
accident; left widowed with three children to raise, his mother
moved the family to Springfield, where she found work and
shelter managing boarding houses; and
WHEREAS, Although Lou Lowder never remembered living in the
Virden area, he was proud of his Virden roots; he would tell
stories of the many times he would take the train to visit his
family who remained there; and

HR0415 - 2 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder's mother worked in boardinghouses in
downtown Springfield, where she cooked and cleaned in exchange
for a meager salary and room and board for her and her family;
his family believes that living among so many different people
coming in and out of the boardinghouses helped to instill in
him a sense of inclusion and hospitality that remained with him
throughout his life; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder attended St. Agnes Grade School and
Cathedral Boys High School, where he made deep friendships and
developed a lifelong love of sports; he loved to say that his
most memorable athletic achievement was being knocked
unconscious for over 24 hours by a 300-pound tackle from
Spaulding; his teammates always blamed him for losing the game,
even though they won it 43-0; he also boasted that he was back
on the field the very next week to help beat their archnemesis,
Springfield High, 13-6; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder graduated from high school in 1943; two
weeks after graduation, driven by his sense of honor and duty,
he boarded a train with his best friend, Joe Knox, and entered
World War II; there was not a time in his life that he was
prouder of nor more guarded about than the 32 months he spent
in the Navy during World War II; he spent most of his tour as a
Gunner's Mate First Class aboard the USS Walter C. Wann, a
destroyer escort; after assignments along the Eastern

HR0415 - 3 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
Seaboard, the North Atlantic, and the Caribbean Sea, they
entered the South Pacific War Zone, where he earned six Battle
Stars; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder fought in the Battle of Leyte Gulf,
considered to be the greatest naval battle in history, where
the Walter C. Wann's sister ship was sunk by a 16 foot Japanese
battery; he later fought in the Battle of Okinawa, the
costliest naval battle in American history, and, although his
ship was heavily damaged by a Japanese kamikaze pilot, it did
not sink; and
WHEREAS, After the war ended, Lou Lowder stayed with the
Walter C. Wann as "Gun Boss" until it was mothballed in Long
Beach, California; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder re-enlisted in the Navy during the
Korean Conflict, serving nearly a year supplying the main air
transportation supply base in Tulle, Greenland, north of the
Arctic Circle; and
WHEREAS, Serving in war during his formative years had a
lasting impact on Lou Lowder; his commitment to duty and
country was unimpeachable; he was a man of honor, a loyal
patriot, and a fierce proponent and defender of our armed
forces; until the end, he was a military man and proud of it;

HR0415 - 4 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
and
WHEREAS, After returning home from World War II, Lou
Lowder's commitment to community and his sense of duty drew him
to a career in the Illinois State Police; over the next 28
years, he served in a variety of roles, including as a road
trooper, a member of the Executive Security for Governor
Stevenson, a Shift Sergeant, a member of the first statewide
Staff Inspection Team, a member of the Academy staff, an Area
Commander, a First Executive Officer, and, finally, as first
Deputy Superintendent of the entire Illinois State Police, the
first to achieve the rank of Lt. Colonel; he also served as the
first Illinois State Police Legislative Liaison Officer; and
WHEREAS, As proud as Lou Lowder was of his military
service, he was equally proud of his beloved State Police; he
had immense pride in being a law enforcement officer and a
graduate of the FBI National Academy; he never stopped being a
trooper and spent his life committed to helping those who could
not help themselves; and
WHEREAS, After 28 years with the State Police, Lou Lowder
turned to his other passion, Motor Vehicle Laws; he served as
Executive Director of the Motor Vehicle Laws Commission; during
his 6 years as Executive Director, the Commission advised both
legislative chambers in matters of traffic safety and motor

HR0415 - 5 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
vehicle licensing and regulation; and
WHEREAS, After the commission was abolished in 1983, Lou
Lowder served as Traffic Safety Consultant to Governor
Thompson, and, from 1984-1990, he was Highway Safety Advisor to
Jim Edgar; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder became one of the foremost national
authorities on motor vehicle law; he became the National
Chairman of the American Association of Motor Vehicle
Administrator's Committee to establish Uniform Standards and
Criteria; in that capacity, he traveled extensively around the
country conducting meetings and public hearings, which led to
the Uniform Commercial Driver's License Act; and
WHEREAS, In 1990, after a career rooted in duty, honor, and
a commitment to community, Lou Lowder retired; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder always believed we had a duty to each
other and an obligation to better our community; for many
years, he was an active member of the Knights of Columbus,
always answering the call when help was needed; in 1980, he was
named the Knight of the Year at Council 4175; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder was a man of deep faith; he was a
devoted Catholic and a proud member of the St. Frances Xavier

HR0415 - 6 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
Cabrini Parish; when the church decided to include more lay
people in their service, he volunteered to be one of the first
Eucharistic Ministers and lay lectors; he coached the CYO
basketball team for 13 years; he served as chairman of the
Parish Council, chairman of the Men's Club, and chair of the
Education Committee; he served with his wife June as co-chair
of the Fall Festival and led two parish fund drives; he was
most proud of serving as a ground maintenance volunteer for 15
years; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder loved the sport of boxing, believing it
offered not only an outlet for pent up aggression but also
provided youth with an opportunity and a means to discipline
their lives; he was an active member of the Illinois Golden
Gloves for 40 years, serving as director of bouts, president,
and franchise holder; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder was a proud member of many
organizations, including the Eagles, the Illinois Police
Association, the VFW, and the Northend Democrats; when asked to
serve his community, he never said no; he believed that we are
only as strong as the community in which we live and that we
all must work together to improve that community; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder's military, professional, and
volunteer careers were indeed storied ones, but he will be

HR0415 - 7 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
remembered most for the family that he and his beloved wife
June created; he met June Ruffing in the Spring of 1949 while
they were both working for the State of Illinois; it must have
been love at first sight, because they were married on October
22nd of that year; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder and June spent 70 years providing the
solid foundation upon which their family is deeply rooted; they
had seven children, losing their first born, John Oren, not
long after birth; they have since seen that family grow by 15
grandchildren (having lost a grandchild, Shawna, at the age of
5) and 19 great-grandchildren, with another on the way; and
WHEREAS, The sense of inclusion and hospitality instilled
in Lou Lowder early in life opened his family to hundreds of
others who have merged their lives with those of his family,
sharing in joy, celebrating triumphs, and, as now, helping each
other through tragedy; and
WHEREAS, Lou Lowder taught his family never to turn from
open arms or refuse a handshake, to show respect to those
around you, and, most importantly, to love your family above
all else; and
WHEREAS, Though Lou Lowder may be gone, he will live on in
the physical embodiment of his children, grandchildren and

HR0415 - 8 - LRB101 12577 MST 60995 r
great-grandchildren and in the memory of those who have shared
their lives with him and his family; 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 Oren "Lou" Lowder 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 Lou Lowder as an expression of our
deepest sympathy.