2011 -- S 1103

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LC03014

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2011

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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

BRUCE GEORGE SUNDLUN

     Introduced By: Senators Paiva Weed, Ruggerio, and Goodwin

     Date Introduced: October 03, 2011

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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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 Bruce Sundlun.  Highly respected and often larger-than-life, he was an aviator, a

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lawyer, a businessman, a media mogul, a teacher, a decorated soldier, a husband and father, and 

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Rhode Island's governor from 1991 to 1995; and

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     WHEREAS, Born on the 19th of January in Providence, Rhode Island, Bruce George

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Sundlun was the first child of Jan and Walter Sundlun.  He was the husband of Soozie Sundlun

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and the father of three sons, Tracey, Stuart, and Peter Sundlun and his wife, Karen, and one

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daughter, Kara Sundlun House and her husband, Dennis House.  He was also the step-father of

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Heather and Ray Conover and Max Dittelman, and the grandfather of four grandchildren and two

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step-grandchildren; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Sundlun attended the Gordon School and Providence’s Classical High

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School, leaving Classical after his junior year to attend the Tabor Academy.  He entered Williams

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College in September of 1938 and upon graduation, enlisted and served his country with honor

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and distinction as a pilot during World War II; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1943, while on his 13th bombing run over Germany, Mr. Sundlun was

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shot down over Nazi-occupied Belgium.  He eventually made his way to safety after five months

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of evading capture, during which time he connected with the Belgian Underground and joined the

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Maquis, a branch of the French Resistance.  He was later awarded the Purple Heart, the

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Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster from the United States, and the

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Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur from the Republic of France; and

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     WHEREAS, After returning stateside, Mr. Sundlun attained his law degree from Harvard

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University and began practicing law. He served from 1949 to 1951 as an Assistant United States

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Attorney, and from 1954 to 1972 as Special Assistant to the United States Attorney General; and

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     WHEREAS, From the 1960s through the 1990s, The Honorable Bruce Sundlun built a

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reputation as a savvy and successful businessman, and in 1991, after a landslide victory, he was

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sworn in as the 71st Governor of Rhode Island; and

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     WHEREAS, Immediately confronted with almost insurmountable challenges, then

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Governor Sundlun learned of the collapse of the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity

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Corp., which insured 45 banks and credit unions, on the eve of his inauguration; and

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     WHEREAS, Through his innate business acumen and strong leadership, Governor

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Sundlun faced, calmed, and successfully resolved the banking crisis that had threatened thousands

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of depositors with the possible loss of their life savings; and

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     WHEREAS, During his two terms as Rhode Island's governor, The Honorable Bruce

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Sundlun also worked for the renovation and expansion of the terminal at T.F. Green Airport,

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which was later named in his honor, led a major overhaul of the state Workers’ Compensation

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System, and started the state’s RiteCare program; and

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     WHEREAS, The Honorable Bruce Sundlun continued to live an active and often public

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life well into his eighties, speaking as a guest lecturer, writing, and continuing to promote

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innumerable ideas to enhance and improve life in our Ocean State; and

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     WHEREAS, Described as “determined, driven, courageous, charming, combative, self-

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assured, irrepressible and uncompromisingly dedicated to principle,” The Honorable Bruce

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Sundlun will forever be remembered for his extraordinary leadership, his deep commitment to

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serving the citizens of the State of Rhode Island and the United States, and for a life well and

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fully lived; 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 Sundlun Family on the passing of The

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Honorable Bruce Sundlun; 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 Soozie Sundlun and Family.

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LC03014

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