2009 -- S 0005

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LC00206

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2009

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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

CLAIBORNE PELL

     Introduced By: Senators Paiva-Weed, Connors, DiPalma, C Levesque, and Walaska

     Date Introduced: January 08, 2009

     Referred To: Senate read and passed

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     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this Senate has learned of the passing of The

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Honorable Claiborne Pell, a beloved statesman and tireless champion for working-class

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Americans; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1918, Claiborne de Borda Pell was born into a political New York

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family. His father had been the former United States Representative Herbert Claiborne Pell, Jr.,

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his great-great grandfather had been a former Congressman, and his great-great uncle was a

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former Senator and Vice President of the United States. His career in public service was virtually

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preordained, but his monumental achievements will forever stand as a luminous testament to his

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whole-hearted commitment to this state and our nation; and

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      WHEREAS, The Pell family moved to Newport when Claiborne was nine. He graduated

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from St. George’s School in Newport, and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree from

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Princeton University and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia. He also served in the Coast

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Guard during World War II, and continued his service in the Coast Guard Reserve, retiring a

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captain in 1978. In 1944, he married the former Nuala O’Donnell, and together the couple had

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four children; and

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      WHEREAS, Elected to the United States Senate in 1960, Senator Pell served six terms

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in the Senate from 1961 until 1997, and was Rhode Island’s longest serving senator. He is

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perhaps best known as the primary sponsor of the Pell Grant, a “Basic Educational Opportunity

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Grant” that has provided financial funding for more than 50 million American college students;

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and

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     WHEREAS, With innate integrity, and a thoughtful and non-confrontational style,

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Senator Pell was also successful in championing a myriad of vital initiatives. He was the main

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sponsor of the bill creating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for

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the Humanities. He was also a strong advocate for mass transportation initiatives, and served as

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Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for seven years; and

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     WHEREAS, The Honorable Claiborne Pell upheld a standard for excellence in public

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service that enriched and benefited Rhode Island and inspired this nation. He was a true and

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steadfast gentleman in every sense of the word, and he has forever earned a brilliant and

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meritorious chapter in Rhode Island and our country’s history; now, therefore be it

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      RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby expresses our deepest sympathies to the entire Pell family on the passing of The

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Honorable Claiborne Pell; and be it further

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      RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Nuala Pell and Family.

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LC00206

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