Senate Bill sb2456

    Florida Senate - 2002        (NP)                      SR 2456

    By Senator King





    8-1896-02

  1                    Senate Resolution No. ____

  2         A resolution honoring Rex David "Dave" Thomas

  3         and expressing the deepest condolences of the

  4         Florida Senate to his family upon his death.

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  6         WHEREAS, the Senate has learned with great sadness of

  7  the death of Dave Thomas from liver cancer at the age of 69 on

  8  January 8, 2002, and

  9         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas, who was born in Atlantic City,

10  New Jersey, on July 2, 1932, and adopted shortly thereafter by

11  Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was a lifelong

12  advocate and activist for the cause of adoption, and

13         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas, in 1979, was awarded the Horatio

14  Alger Award for dedication, individual initiative, and

15  commitment to excellence, as exemplified by remarkable

16  achievements accomplished through honesty, hard work,

17  self-reliance, and perseverance, and

18         WHEREAS, from 1990 until 2000, Dave Thomas was national

19  spokesman for numerous White House adoption and foster-care

20  initiatives, and

21         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas received numerous awards,

22  including the Angel in Adoption Award by the Congressional

23  Coalition on Adoption, for generating awareness of the

24  thousands of children waiting for permanent homes and loving

25  families, and

26         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas, in 1992, established the Dave

27  Thomas Foundation for Adoption and donated his speaking fees

28  and profits from sales of his books, "Dave's Way, Well Done!"

29  and "Franchising for Dummies", to adoption causes, and

30         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas established the Dave Thomas

31  Foundation for Adoption to work with national adoption

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    Florida Senate - 2002        (NP)                      SR 2456
    8-1896-02




  1  organizations, individuals, and public and private agencies to

  2  raise awareness of children awaiting adoption and to provide

  3  direct support for programs seeking to find permanent homes

  4  for children in foster care, and

  5         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas established the Dave Thomas Center

  6  for Adoption Law to facilitate the adoption process through

  7  education, advocacy, and research, and

  8         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas was a constructive force in

  9  shaping corporate health policy to cover adoption expenses,

10  and, through his efforts, 75 percent of Fortune 1000 companies

11  now offer adoption benefits to their employees, and

12         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas received the 2001 Social Awareness

13  Award from the United States Postal Service for being

14  instrumental in the use of the Adoption Awareness postage

15  stamp as a vehicle for highlighting the cause of adoption, and

16         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas founded Wendy's Old-Fashioned

17  Hamburgers in Columbus, Ohio, on November 15, 1969, and

18  transformed it into one of the most successful food franchises

19  in the country, and, in promoting Wendy's, became a national

20  figure representing a friendly face, good food, and a kind

21  sense of humor, and

22         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas, in 1993, 45 years after leaving

23  school, earned his GED certificate and received his high

24  school diploma from Coconut Creek High School in Ft.

25  Lauderdale, Florida, securing him as a role model to students

26  of all ages, and

27         WHEREAS, Dave Thomas used his financial success to

28  promote and advance the cause of adoption, NOW, THEREFORE,

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30  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:

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    Florida Senate - 2002        (NP)                      SR 2456
    8-1896-02




  1         That America has lost one of its most dedicated and

  2  hardest working advocates for adoption, and the Florida Senate

  3  honors him in his devotion to family, life, and business and

  4  expresses its deep and heartfelt condolences to his family on

  5  their loss.

  6         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution,

  7  with the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the Dave

  8  Thomas family as a tangible token of the sentiments of the

  9  Florida Senate.

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