HR0734 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0734 LRB093 21475 HSS 48448 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Maurice "Moe" Higgins, of Fairfax, Virginia, formerly of Chicago, on Thursday, February 27, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Higgins was born May 3, 1917, in Chicago, one of five children of Irish immigrants Michael and Mary Higgins; he graduated from St. Leo High School and the old St. Viator College in Bourbonnais and joined the police force in 1938; at the same time, he attended Chicago Kent College of Law, earning his law degree in early 1942; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Higgins married Helen Egan in 1939; they married a few weeks after Pearl Harbor, and in April 1942, he joined the U.S. Navy; he served as a naval intelligence officer, then commanded a landing craft in the South Pacific, serving in such battles as Guadalcanal, Leyte, and Tarawa, and becoming a lieutenant; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, Mr. Higgins returned to the police force; he was promoted to sergeant in 1952, lieutenant in 1955, and in 1956 graduated from the FBI National Police Academy in Washington, D.C.; when the detective bureau was reorganized in 1959, he was placed in charge of the robbery, cartage, arson, and bomb detail, becoming a captain in 1960; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Higgins served as chief investigator for the Cook County state's attorney's office from 1966 to 1969; after his stint in the state's attorney's office, he was a watch commander in the South Chicago and Gresham districts on the South Side and in 1975 became commander of the Morgan Park District until his 1977 retirement; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Higgins always practiced a little law on the side; when he retired, with the children gone, he had room to set up an office at home; he often worked for free to help the widows of his old comrades; he and his wife began buying and restoring antiques and traveling to Europe; while researching his family history in County Kerry, he decided to learn the Gaelic he heard his parents speaking when he was young; he also was fluent in Latin; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Maurice "Moe" Higgins has been deeply felt by many, especially his daughters, Mary Celeste Higgins, Helen Marie (George) Roe, and Patricia (John) Crowley; his sons, Michael Higgins, Bill (Mary Beth) Higgins, and Jack (Missy) Higgins, and his six grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Maurice "Moe" Higgins, and we offer 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 Mr. Higgins as an expression of our deepest sympathy.