[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S339-S340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN SULLIVAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today I want to take a few moments to 
acknowledge Illinois State Senator--and my friend--John Sullivan. John 
is one of the best and most decent men in politics--and there is no 
stronger advocate for the people of western Illinois. After all, they 
are John's lifelong friends and family. He has been living and farming 
there his entire life. And after 14 years in the Illinois Senate, John 
retired and returned to the family business.
  John Sullivan grew up on his family farm in Macomb, Nauvoo, and 
Hamilton. He spent his summers taking care of livestock and baling hay. 
In 1981, John graduated from Quincy College--known today as Quincy 
University--with a degree in history. After college, he went to auction 
school and obtained his real estate license. He sold insurance before 
taking a job in Rushville with Production Credit Association.
  He didn't know anyone in Rushville--a town of just over 3,000 
people--but he joined the local parish and quickly made friends. As 
fate would have it, Joan Merna moved to town and joined the same 
parish. Their friends decided to introduce them, and the rest is 
history. Today, John and Joan have been married for more than 33 years. 
And if you talk to their friends, they will tell you their marriage was 
one of the best things that happened to Rushville. They are a great 
team and have a wonderful family
  In 1986, John joined the family real estate and auction business, 
which his children and siblings still run today. Nearly 20 years later, 
he sat down with Joan at the kitchen table and decided to run for 
office. It was something he always wanted to do--and 2002 was as good a 
time as any. Before John, no one thought a Democrat could be elected 
Senator in western Illinois. For years, good candidates tried and 
failed. But John won office the old-fashioned way--by knocking on 
doors, walking in parades, and listening to people. He also had a 
secret weapon--six brothers and four sisters. Republicans said it was 
like running against the Walton family. And a couple of his brothers 
look just like John. The resemblance was so great that, during that 
first campaign, people sometimes thought John was everywhere all at 
once. They didn't realize that sometimes they were seeing one of the 
Sullivan brothers.
  John learned fast and rose in just a few years from a political 
novice to a leader of the Democratic Party in the Illinois Senate. If 
you want to see John's legacy, you can look at the extensions of Route 
336 and Route 67--main arteries that created hundreds of new jobs--and 
will continue to bring new jobs to the region long after we are gone. 
He has secured more than $820 million for Western Illinois University 
in Macomb--and over $16 million to keep the Quincy Veterans Home Guest 
House open.
  But the greatest part of John's legacy is the civility, reason, and 
dignity he has brought to his work--qualities that are needed in public 
service today. John understands that getting things done involves 
finding middle ground and getting along with people. Progress is a long 
march. It demands patience and perseverance. And sometimes, it requires 
the wisdom and humility to compromise, a lesson John learned from his 
parents, growing up as one of 11 children. When fights broke out, his 
parents didn't get involved, they simply said: ``Figure it out and just 
get along.'' And they did. John took the same approach to governance 
and built his reputation as someone who is always willing to listen to 
the other side to see if there is a way to move forward

[[Page S340]]

together. He knows that principled compromise isn't capitulation, but 
how democracy is supposed to work. He will be sorely missed in the 
Illinois Senate.
  Despite his many achievements, his proudest accomplishment is his 
family. John and Joan still live on their family farm in Rushville 
where they raised four children. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Emily. And 
let me tell you, Emily inherited some good public service genes--I am 
indebted to John and Joan for letting her work in my Washington office.
  I will close with this. On the wall in John's Senate office was a 
photograph of his dad, along with the advice he gave him. He told John: 
``Don't forget the little guy.'' Throughout his career, he has never 
forgotten the little guys--family farmers, small business owners, and 
hard-working people wondering how they will send their children to 
college or retire with dignity. John has stood with them and been their 
champion. Now, as he enters the next chapter in his life, I want to 
wish him and Joan many years of happiness and the best of luck with the 
family business and family farm.

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