SR0756 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0756 LRB101 14475 MST 63369 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Susan Loving Gravenhorst, who passed away on September 15, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst was born in Effingham to Harold and Julia (Highsmith) Loving on October 1, 1931; she skipped the third grade and graduated from Effingham High School as class valedictorian at the age of 16; she graduated from Stephens College for Women in Columbia, Missouri in 1950 and received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a credential in secondary school teaching and a minor in speech from the University of Illinois in 1952; and

WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst married Albert D. "Alby" Gravenhorst on Valentine's Day 1953, and they moved around the country, as Albert pursued a career in advertising while Susan taught English, journalism, and speech in junior high and high schools in Atlanta, Des Moines, Birmingham (MI), Cleveland, Dallas, and finally Lake Forest; in the 1960s, she and her husband founded Gravenhorst & Associates, Incorporated in Chicago, where she served as chief financial officer and treasurer for over 35 years; and

WHEREAS, While living in Lake Forest, Susan Gravenhorst became involved with many community organizations, including the Cherokee School PTA (President), the Lake Forest PTA (President), the Lake Forest High School Volunteer Board (President), the Lake Forest Symphony Associations' Women's Committee, the Lake Bluff/Lake Forest Committee of the Arden Shore Association, the Lake Forest Hospital Women's Board, PEO KV Chapter (President), Faith Lutheran Church's Mary and Martha Guild (President), and the Friends of Gorton Community Center Board; and

WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst became active in local politics, first serving as the president of the Women's Republican Club of Lake Forest; she served on the Lake Forest Caucus for eight years and as the State Central Republican Committeewoman for the Illinois 10th Congressional District from 1982 to 1998; she was also a member of the Lake County Republican Federation Board of Governors from 1968 to 1984; and

WHEREAS, In 1984, Susan Gravenhorst was elected to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees; she was re-elected in 1990 and, after the board shifted from elective to appointive, was appointed to a third term by Governor Jim Edgar in 1996; in 1998, she was elected chairman of the board and, consequently, her signature is on the diplomas of thousands of students who graduated during the 1998 to 2000 timeframe; she chaired most of the committees of the board and was the first woman to chair the committee on athletics; she also served as a board member of the University of Illinois Foundation and its President's Council and the State Universities Civil Service Merit Board; and

WHEREAS, In 1999 at its annual convention in Seattle, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges honored Susan Gravenhorst with its Distinguished Service Award in Trusteeship for the "best volunteer service to public higher education"; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, after retiring from the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, she was elected Lake County Commissioner and served Lake Forest/Lake Bluff for eight years, retiring in 2012 at age 80; and

WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst was a member of the Knollwood Club, the Delta Gamma Sorority, and PEO; and

WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst was preceded in death by her husband, Alby; and

WHEREAS, Susan Gravenhorst is survived by her son, Hugo (Terese) Gravenhorst; her daughters, Suzanne Gravenhorst and Jane (Lars) Soderberg; and her grandchildren, Abigail (Ian) Strug, Eleanor Gravenhorst, Lars A. Soderberg, Anders Soderberg, and Bradley Soderberg; 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 Susan Loving Gravenhorst 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 Susan Gravenhorst as an expression of our deepest sympathy.