SR0595 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0595 LRB093 22530 KEF 52071 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois were saddened to learn of the death of Floyd Kalber of Burr Ridge, formerly a Hinsdale resident, on May 13, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kalber was born on December 23, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska; in Omaha, he met and married his high school classmate Betty Rhodes; and

WHEREAS, He served in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, he began his career as a radio announcer in Kearney, Nebraska; his television career began in Omaha at KMTV, where he pioneered the news department for a decade; and

WHEREAS, In 1960, Mr. Kalber was hired by WMAQ-TV, a NBC News affiliate in Chicago; within a few months of his arrival at WMAQ-TV he began a 16-year run as the 10 p.m. anchorman for the NBC-owned station; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kalber was a correspondent for NBC News and sometimes hosted the Sunday NBC Nightly News; in 1976, he left WMAQ-TV to begin doing the news for the "Today" show ; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kalber retired from the network in 1981, but was coaxed out of retirement in 1984 to help revive Chicago's WLS-TV by anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast; he enjoyed another run atop the ratings for 14 years and retired from the ABC affiliate in 1998; and

WHEREAS, He received the nickname "The Big Tuna" of television news because his power in the newsroom was perceived to be as great as the power of the late Chicago mob boss Tony "Big Tuna" Acardo; and

WHEREAS, He was a 33rd-degree Mason and a multiple Emmy Award winner; he was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and received the Radio and Television News Directors Association's Silver Circle Award; he was also a life trustee of The Community House in Hinsdale; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Floyd Kalber will be deeply felt by many, especially his wife of 57 years, Betty; his children, Mick (Ann) and Kathy Kinsella; and his grandchildren, Ivory and Sage Kalber, and Christopher, Michael, Patrick, and Molly Kinsella; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of Floyd Kalber along with all who knew and loved him and extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Floyd Kalber as an expression of our deepest sympathy.