SR2018 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2018 LRB099 22294 MST 49675 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of James N. Urhausen of St. Charles, who passed away on December 2, 2015; and

WHEREAS, James Urhausen was born in Berwyn to Jack and Florence Urhausen on October 6, 1943; he grew up in Hinsdale and worked his way through high school and college, often maintaining multiple jobs, including caddy, busboy, service station attendant, cashier, and dance instructor for Arthur Murray; he graduated from St. Procopius College in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science; and

WHEREAS, James Urhausen was a well-known and accomplished man and was involved in the City of St. Charles in multiple positions, including 25 years as fire and police commissioner; over four decades, he sat on numerous community boards while owning and running a very successful construction and consulting business for many years; he became a trained emergency medical technician and auxiliary policeman for the Village of Hinsdale; he went on to teach Comparative Government and American Constitutional History at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park before joining the Village of Hinsdale as Assistant Village Manager; and

WHEREAS, James Urhausen was appointed as the first Village Manager for the Village of Oak Brook in 1969 at the age of 26; during his tenure, he oversaw much of the development that led Oak Brook to become the Illinois suburban hub for commerce and development that it is today; after four years in that role, he moved into the private sector, first joining the Collins Development Corporation in 1973 as Vice-President, followed by Westway Construction in 1980 as Executive Vice-President; the remainder of his career was spent as President and CEO of the firm from 1984 to 2003, where he oversaw the development of more than 1,500 homes in the Fox Valley, and led the company to becoming one of the largest home builders in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In retirement, James Urhausen continued to dabble in real estate projects as an advisor and consultant to many of the Northwestern Illinois developments; throughout his career, he was directly responsible for the annexation, zoning, and development of almost 4,000 acres of property in Kane, Kendall, and DuPage Counties; and

WHEREAS, James Urhausen was the past Chairman of the Glenwood School for Boys and Girls, past President of the Neighborhood Improvement Association, a member of the St. Charles 708 Community Mental Health Board, and Director of the Delnor-Community Health Care System; the 25 years he gave to the City of St. Charles as Chairman of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners was particularly close to his heart; and

WHEREAS, James Urhausen was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, James Urhausen is survived by his children, Kristen Anne (James) Kummerer, James "Jim" (Becky) Urhausen III, Brad Urhausen, and Samantha (Grant) Montgomery; his grandchildren, Tyler and Weston Urhausen; his brothers, William (Sodi), Steve (Debbie), and David (Diane); his sisters, Jeanne (John) Milito, Marianne (Bruce) Zolna, and Joanne (Jack) Schubert; and several nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of James N. Urhausen, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of James Urhausen as an expression of our deepest sympathy.