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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3 to learn of the death of Molly M. Hall Buehner of both
4 Springfield and Petersburg, who passed away on March 31, 2023;
5 and
6 WHEREAS, Molly Hall was born to James Winford and Juanita
7 Medows Hall on August 3, 1959; in the third grade, she moved
8 from Arkansas to Petersburg, Illinois with her mother and
9 sisters; she graduated from PORTA High School in 1977; she
10 graduated from Eastern Illinois University; she also graduated
11 from the Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) and was
12 a Certified Association Executive (CAE); she married John
13 Buehner in Springfield on April 7, 1990; and
14 WHEREAS, Molly Hall spent 14 years in radio and television
15 news, starting at WTAX before working as a reporter and anchor
16 at WCIA, where she met her husband, John; she then became the
17 Statehouse Capitol Bureau Chief for WCIA and WMBD; shortly
18 after becoming a mother, she worked at Illinois Power before
19 shifting to nonprofit work; and
20 WHEREAS, Molly Hall served as the executive director of
21 the Energy Education Council, a national nonprofit she built
22 from a small University of Illinois initiative to serve
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1 electric utilities and their customers; after serving in that
2 capacity for 18 years, she retired in the spring of 2020; and
3 WHEREAS, Molly Hall was an award-winning communicator,
4 receiving national recognition from the Clarion Awards and the
5 Telly Awards; and
6 WHEREAS, Molly Hall held several leadership roles in her
7 volunteer board work, serving as president of the Illinois
8 News Broadcasters Association, the Illinois Society of
9 Association Executives, Unity Church of Champaign and
10 Springfield, the Central Illinois Public Relations Society of
11 America, the national and Springfield chapters of the
12 Association of Women in Communications, and the historic New
13 Salem Lincoln League; and
14 WHEREAS, Molly Hall was a beloved member of the Petersburg
15 community; she participated in madrigal performances, her
16 church's choir and bell choir, and was a foreign exchange
17 mother to two PORTA students, Vivi and Natalia; and
18 WHEREAS, Molly Hall was a pillar of her family and a
19 devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt; she was
20 known for her adventurous, fun-loving, ambitious, and
21 boisterous spirit; she will be remembered for being dedicated
22 to her family, passionate about her work, and committed to
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1 serving her community; and
2 WHEREAS, Molly Hall was preceded in death by her parents;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, Molly Hall is survived by her husband, John
5 Buehner; her daughter, Allison Buehner; and her sisters, Beth
6 Kiningham, Rebecca Rowe, and Priscilla Reynolds, and their
7 families; therefore, be it
8 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
9 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10 Molly M. Hall Buehner and extend our sincere condolences to
11 her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
12 further
13 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to the family of Molly Hall as an expression of our
15 deepest sympathy.
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