HR0829 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0829 LRB093 21313 HSS 48625 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Lifelong southwest Rockford resident and tireless civic servant Frank George St. Angel of Rockford passed away on March 28, 2003; he was born June 10, 1921 in Rockford, the son of Jasper and Giacomina St. Angel; he married Constance Monica Achilli on April 19, 1958; Frank earned a B.A. in history in 1943 from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in international relations in 1949 from the University of Chicago; he served in the China-Burma-India Theater during WWII, earning the U.S. Army Bronze Star Medal for exceptional duty in developing a key counterintelligence strategy for use against the Japanese armed forces; Frank continued to serve his country in the U.S. Army Reserves for many years after the war until eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel; after his father's death, Frank took over his role as a leader of Rockford's Italian-American community and the real estate and insurance business he started in 1910; and

WHEREAS, Frank continually sought out opportunities to serve and better the community; in 1956, he served as Chairman of the Rockford Civil Service Commission and in 1960 he was Chairman of the Rockford Human Relations Commission; he was a member of the city zoning Board of Appeals, and he served from 1961 to 1967 on the Rockford Board of Education; Frank was Chairman of the U.S. Bicentennial Commission for Winnebago County; in 1975, he was Co-Chairman of the Greater Rockford Columbus Day Committee; between 1961 and 1978, he served on the Winnebago County Board, serving as Chairman from 1974 to 1978 and was honored for leadership in striving for high ideals and progressive reform; from 1981 to 1999, Frank served as a member, vice-president, and president of the Rock River Water Reclamation District Board of Trustees; he held leadership positions in the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, the United Way, Crime Stoppers of Rockford, the Rockford Park District, the Winnebago County and Rockford Action Committees, the Illinois Youth Commission, the Rockford Public Library Foundation, the Rockford College Board of Counselors, and the Rockford Board of Realtors; he was president of the Southside Community Projects Association and an organizer and first chairman of the Head Start Program in Rockford; and

WHEREAS, In 1978, Frank was awarded, by command of the President of Italy, the title of Cavaliere (or Knight) and was inducted into the Italian Order of the Star of Solidarity; the Italian Consulate General presented Frank with this honor for distinguished community service and acting pro-bono ombudsman in efforts to reunite the families of post-WWII Italian immigrants in Rockford; Frank served as the President of Rockford Vigo Lodge Order Sons of Italy, received the Italian Folk Art Federation Award in 1995, and was named Italian-American Father of the Year in 1997; and

WHEREAS, A lifelong member of St. Anthony Church and nephew to founder, Father Anthony Marchesano, Frank served as Lector, Usher, President of the Parish Council, and, in 1954, the President of the Holy Name Society; he also was a Trustee of the church, an Extraordinary Minister, and a member of the Knights of Columbus; and

WHEREAS, For his exceptional civic service, he received many awards, including the City of Rockford Citizen of the Year Award, the University of Chicago's Distinguished Public Service Award in 1983, and the Rotary Club Service Above Self Award; in 2002, the Mayor of Rockford named him a Rockford Sesquicentennial Futurist; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Frank G. St. Angel for his many achievements during his lifetime and his work to make Rockford a better place; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Frank's widow, Constance M. St. Angel, as an expression of our esteem.