SR0428 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0428 LRB102 19029 MST 27793 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Donald E. Dobrino, who passed away on July 4, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino was born in Mt. Olive to Thomas and Mary Dobrino on February 3, 1935; he graduated from Mt. Olive High School in 1953, where he excelled in all major sports and led the Wildcats to four consecutive South Central Conference Championships; he was recruited by several Division 1 universities and accepted a full scholarship to the University of Iowa to play football and baseball for the Hawkeyes; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino excelled in both football and baseball while at Iowa; the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Championship in 1956, which earned them a trip to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Oregon State 35 to 18; as a pitcher for the baseball team, he became known as the "Strikeout King" of the Big Ten; after graduation, he was drafted by the Washington Football Team but later accepted an offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates and advanced as far as Triple A; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino decided to look for more stable employment in order to support his wife, Jeanette, and a growing family; he accepted a teaching job with the Depue School District, where he taught physical education and coached several sports; while there, he initiated a football program before accepting a coaching position at Gillespie High School; he coached the Gillespie Miners to many successful seasons, including 1976 and 1990 appearances in the 2A finals; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino married his second wife, Cyrelda "Cookie" Dobrino in 1978; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino retired in 1996 from teaching but continued coaching the Miners; he returned to coaching at Mt. Olive, and the Wildcats won two Prairie State Conference titles and qualified for the IHSA football playoffs seven times; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino's coaching record ranks him as the 14th winningest high school coach in Illinois of all time; he was inducted into the Illinois High School Hall of fame in 1987 and was named West Central Illinois Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008; in 2006, he was inducted into the National High School Athletics Coaches Association Hall of Fame and named Coach of the Week by the Chicago Bears; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino was affectionately known as "Duke"; he coached his son, Robert Dobrino, two stepsons, Rick and Ed Herrera, and finally his grandson, Daniel Dobrino, spanning 50 years of coaching; he always wanted to be out on the field with young coaches and young athletes teaching them what he had learned in a life-time of coaching; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Thomas and Robert; and

WHEREAS, Donald Dobrino is survived by his wife, Cyrelda; his children, Lori Small, Carla Smith (Jim Freytag), Robert (Diane) Dobrino, and Donette (Michael) Clark; his stepsons, Rich (Theresa) and Edward (Bernie) Herrera; his grandchildren, Jeremy, Sean, Brandon (Ginny), Daniel, Jenna, Mitchell, Courtney, Kyleigh, Osiana, and Marquez; and his great-granddaughters, Makenna and Keira; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Donald E. Dobrino 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 Donald Dobrino as an expression of our deepest sympathy.