2012 -- S 2865

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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

EXTENDING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE JUNE GIBBS

     Introduced By: Senators Algiere, Paiva Weed, Bates, Ottiano, and DiPalma

     Date Introduced: April 12, 2012

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, It is with profound sadness and regret that this Senate has learned of the

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passing of our dear friend and former colleague, The Honorable June Gibbs, a longtime resident

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of Middletown, a well respected former member of the Rhode Island Senate, and a truly kind and

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gracious woman; and

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     WHEREAS, June Gibbs was married to the late Donald Gibbs and together they had

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been blessed with one daughter, Elizabeth.  June also shared a very close and loving relationship

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with her son-in-law, Eliot, and his children, David and his wife, Suzanne, Christy, and William. 

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She was also the doting and beloved great grandmother of Maggie; and

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     WHEREAS, Upon graduation from Newton High School and Wellesley College, June

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served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War II, and was instrumental in

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breaking the German submarine codes in Washington, D.C.  After her service, she continued her

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education and received a Master’s degree from Boston University; and

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     WHEREAS, Beginning her career as a librarian, June rose to become the Director of the

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Redwood Library and Athenaeum, retiring after thirty-nine years.  In 1974, she was successfully

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elected to the Middletown Town Council, and earned the distinction of being the very first

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woman to serve and the first woman President of the Council; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1985, June was elected to the Rhode Island State Senate.  Originally

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representing District 48, which included Middletown and Portsmouth, June was later re-elected to

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the newly redrawn District 12, which additionally included parts of Little Compton, Newport, and

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Tiverton.  She served as the Senate Deputy Minority Leader from 1985 until leaving the Senate in

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2008; and

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     WHEREAS, Senator Gibbs was a strong voice and accessible advocate for her

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constituency and a plethora of local organizations.  She was active with Rhode Island Kids Count,

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the Newport Hospital Ethics Committee, the Rhode Island Foundation’s Newport County Fund

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Advisory Committee, and the state and national Republican parties, where she served as the

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National Committeewoman and Housing Chairman, and earned the unqualified admiration and

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respect of all; and

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     WHEREAS, June Gibbs possessed a magnanimous spirit and omnipresent good humor.

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She represented all that is best in this state and she will be dearly missed; 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 offers our sincere condolences to her daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Eliot, and

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her entire extended family on the passing of The Honorable June Gibbs; 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 Elizabeth Gibbs and Eliot Raymond, and

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Family.

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LC02420

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