SR0345 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0345 LRB100 11998 MST 23937 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Burton D. Cohen, who passed away on March 4, 2017 at the age of 77; and

WHEREAS, Burton Cohen graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology and earned a Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University; and

WHEREAS, Burton Cohen spent 35 years at McDonald's Corporation; he retired as Sr. Vice-President and Chief Franchising Officer, where he oversaw McDonald's franchising activities worldwide and helped the company grow into the Fortune 500; and

WHEREAS, In his retirement years, Burton Cohen kept busy as the founder of Burton D. Cohen & Associates; he served on the boards of many firms including The Learning Experience and The Dwyer Group; he co-authored and taught Strategic Franchising as a faculty member at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; the wildly popular course, which he taught for 15 years, became the gold standard in business school curricula; and

WHEREAS, Burton Cohen was an avid tennis player, biker, and golfer; he enjoyed travel and photography, taking his camera to six continents; he loved to cook, listen to jazz, opera, and classical music, and spend time with his family; and

WHEREAS, Burton Cohen is survived by his wife of 48 years, Linda; his children, David (Kristin) and Jordana (Richard); and his grandchildren, Jonah, Theodore, and Florence; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Burton D. Cohen, 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 Burton Cohen as an expression of our deepest sympathy.