SR0086 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0086 LRB101 08961 ALS 54052 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Barbara Elaine Russell Brown of Highland Park, who passed away on January 7, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Brown was born in Chicago on February 14, 1929; she grew up in the Austin neighborhood in a family of Jewish immigrants from Romania and Russia; her father died of wounds sustained in World War I, shortly before the start of World War II; after high school, she began studies at what was then Rockford College; she earned her bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; she married Roger Brown on May 16, 1953; shortly thereafter, they moved to Highland Park; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Brown served on the research staff of Chicago's Field Museum for nearly 50 years, concentrating in mammalogy and specializing in New World species; she was a participant on several of the museum's research expeditions to Brazil's Cerrado and Atlantic Coastal forests; she was also the author of an important treatise on marsupials; the scientific community recognized her work and named a number of tropical mammals and birds in her honor; a curatorial position in ornithology at the Science Museum of Minnesota bears her name, as well as a nature reserve that forms part of the Chicago Botanic Gardens; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Brown enriched the community; she joined the Highland Park Library Board, served on the city's Environmental Commission, was a guide at the Heller Nature Center, and volunteered at her children's elementary schools and at their many extracurricular activities; she also served on the Woman's Board of the Field Museum and the Chicago Botanic Garden Board; she was president of the Evanston North Shore Bird Club for decades; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Brown was a dedicated birdwatcher and "birded" throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Central America; she traveled the world with Roger as well, attended the four grand Slam tournaments, and visited London, Rome, Paris, Tbilsi, Tehran, and Yogyakartta; she regularly engaged in tennis and swimming; she enjoyed gardening, classical music, mysteries, and Asian art; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Brown is survived by her husband, Roger; her children, Jeffrey, Owen, Andrew, Henry, and Vanessa; her 18 grandchildren; and her seven great-grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Barbara Elaine Russell Brown and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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