SR1121 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1121 LRB103 41225 ECR 74442 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dennis W. Gorman of Quincy, who passed away on June 25, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman, the son of Wayne and Norma (Laney) Gorman, was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 16, 1942; he graduated from Quincy High School in 1960; he attended Washington University in St. Louis and then graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1964, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity; he married Barbara "Barb" Keller at the Lutheran Church of St. John in Quincy on June 27, 1964; he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1967; he was admitted to the Illinois Bar and then later to the Missouri Bar; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman began practicing law with Ira C. Pierson in Quincy in 1967; he served as a city attorney and then as an assistant state's attorney part-time while building his private practice in banking, real estate, probate, and small corporations; he then began a lengthy career as a school lawyer, during which he served Quincy Public Schools District #172, several other public school districts in west central Illinois, Culver-Stockton College, and Quincy University; he was also a lecturer in school law at Quincy University for several years; after practicing law in various other partnerships, he joined the law firm of Schmiedeskamp Robertson Neu & Mitchell LLP in 1995, where he worked with his son and law partner, Brett K. Gorman; he retired in 2017; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman was passionate about his faith and was a lifelong member of Faith Presbyterian Church, where he served numerous terms as an elder and engaged on Presbyterian church matters at the national level; he was a member and past president of the Adams County Bar Association and the Quincy Country Club; he also served as a member of the State Street Bank Board of Directors for 49 years; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman was a longtime advocate for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA); he was an Eagle Scout and was selected to represent Illinois for the Boy Scout Report to the Nation in Washington D.C. in 1960; he served on the executive board of the Mississippi Valley Council, BSA and championed the annual fundraising campaign Friends of Scouting for many years; he was featured for his service by Scouting Magazine in 1981, and he received the Silver Beaver Award, the James West Fellowship Award, and the Scout's Distinguished Citizen Award; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman enjoyed hiking, golfing, biking, trout fishing, and traveling with his wife and family; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, Bill Keller and Margaret Keller; and his son; and

WHEREAS, Dennis Gorman is survived by his wife; his daughter, Wendy (Tim) Koontz; his daughter-in-law, Debbie Gorman; his granddaughters, Megan (Jackson) O'Connor, Alice Gorman, Madelyn (Matthew) Dean, Kate Gorman, and Anne Gorman; his great-granddaughter, Charlotte O'Connor; his sister, Carol (Gregory) Alster; his siblings-in-law, Bill Keller, Lynda Keller, Dennis Cashman, and Marianne Cashman; and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dennis W. Gorman 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 Dennis Gorman as an expression of our deepest sympathy.