2010 -- S 3029

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LC02965

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2010

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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING SENATOR JOHN F. MCBURNEY, III, FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE

OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Lynch, Paiva-Weed, Connors, Algiere, and Ruggerio

     Date Introduced: December 02, 2010

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, It is with regret and sadness that we bid farewell to our good friend and

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colleague, the inimitable Dean of the Rhode Island Senate, The Honorable John F. McBurney, III;

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and

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     WHEREAS, Following in his father’s footsteps and a family legacy that encompassed

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more than five decades, Senator John McBurney, III, was elected to the  Rhode Island  Senate,

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representing the people of Pawtucket in what is now District 15, on November 8th of 1974; and

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     WHEREAS, During his thirty-six years with the Rhode Island Senate, Jack has not only

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earned the respect of his peers and the trust and confidence of his constituents, but more

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impressively, he also met and convinced Cheryl Vaslet, previously a member of the legislative

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staff, to become his wife; and

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     WHEREAS, Holding numerous titles and responsibilities during his tenure with the

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Senate, Jack served as Senate President Pro Tempore, a member of the Senate Committee on

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Judiciary and Finance, the Chairman of the Rhode Island Lottery Commission, and the Chair of

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the Senate Corporations Committee and the Senate Labor Committee; and

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     WHEREAS, Senator McBurney served in the Senate for so long that it had become too

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much to lean forward in order to press the voting button so he fashioned a voting wand so he

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could remain in a relaxed position while voting; and

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     WHEREAS, During the same years, Jack’s accomplishments outside of the Senate

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Chamber were also quite extensive.  He earned his Juris Doctor at Suffolk University Law School

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in 1977 and joined the family law firm.  He also became a father seven times over, with the birth

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of his children, John IV, Meghan, Joseph, Michael, Patrick, Ellen, and McKenzie; and  

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     WHEREAS, In addition to Senator McBurney’s family, work, and state house

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responsibilities, his commitment to the community includes membership on a plethora of

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business and professional organizations including: St. Mary’s Men’s Association, the Justice

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Subordinate Forum, the  Pawtucket Lodge of Elks #920, the Governor’s Justice Commission, the

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Woodlawn Neighborhood Association, and the Pleasant View Neighborhood and Business

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Association; and

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     WHEREAS, Senator McBurney’s leadership and tireless devotion to the citizens of the

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Ocean State, along with his quick wit and irrepressible charm, have earned him our unqualified

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admiration and loyalty, and he will most assuredly be missed not only in the Senate Chamber but

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also during the innumerable and often raucous and costly “gatherings” in room 13; and

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     WHEREAS, Room 13, the location of endless meetings and heated policy discussions,

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will never be the same. Unfortunately the whole of Senator McBurney's legislative career was

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placed into two boxes and left in the hallway at the behest of Room 13's newest occupant; now,

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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 honors Senator John F. McBurney, III, as he concludes his service in the Rhode Island

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Senate.  We thank him for a job well done, and extend our sincere wishes for his continued

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health, happiness, and success; 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 the Honorable John F. McBurney, III.

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LC02965

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