SR1161 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1161 LRB100 15950 MST 31066 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of James McAleer "Jim" Spittel of Crystal Lake, who passed away on November 18, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Jim Spittel was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Robert and Geneva Spittel on November 29, 1924; he grew up in Catonsville attending both the Catonsville elementary and high schools; he graduated in 1942 and worked for the Rheem Mfg. Co in Baltimore before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in January of 1943; he served as a sonar operator aboard two destroyer escort ships, the USS J. Richard Ward, DE-243 and the USS Eisner, DE-192; after two years and 10 crossings of the Atlantic Ocean doing convoy duty and shore duty, he was honorably discharged on February 3, 1946; he married Mary Jane "Janie" O'Donnell on January 24, 1948; and

WHEREAS, Jim Spittel joined Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Co. in Baltimore on September 8, 1947; in early 1949, he was assigned to the Washington, D.C. branch as an application engineer; he was given the task of project engineer for the 1950 renovation of the White House; this entailed engineering the first commercial centrally automated environmental control system in the United States; in 1973, he was reassigned to the Arlington Heights Honeywell factory and engineering facility as a project manager for central automated control systems in locations such as Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Texas A&M University, and Harvard University; and

WHEREAS, Jim Spittel retired in 1985 and he and his wife started a new adventure of "RVing", where they towed Holiday Rambler trailers approximately 213,000 miles in all 48 continental states, 13 states in Mexico, and 10 provinces in Canada; in 2002, he settled down in Crystal Lake, sharing his life with Janie and playing bridge; and

WHEREAS, Jim Spittel was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Janie; and

WHEREAS, Jim Spittel is survived by his children, J. Craig, Barbara Ann, Judith M. Smith, and Timothy O.; his grandchildren, Teresa Lynn (Smith) Armolt and Chad Smith; and his great-grandchildren, Piper Armolt, Hunter Armolt, and Archer Armolt; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of James McAleer "Jim" Spittel, 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 Jim Spittel as an expression of our deepest sympathy.