HR0087

LRB094 07593 CSA 37765 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Steve Neal was one of a kind; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Seldom in the State's collective institutional 
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memory did a person transplant himself and his family to the 
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Illinois political and governmental scene and take on the cloak 
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of a lifelong resident with the deepest of roots; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Infrequently in this modern, electronic era of 
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24-hour news cycles, never-ending tracking polls, e-mail, and 
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instant messages, did a person make fascinating reading out the 
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personal, hand-written, stamped correspondence of former 
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presidents, first ladies, and generals; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Seldom in an age of synergy, downloads, CD burns, 
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did a person influence so many city, state and national 
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governmental and political decisions from behind a mountain of 
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history books with a backdrop of posters dating back to bygone 
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times; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Rarely did a person understand the power of the 
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pen and the swath it would leave across the body politic when 
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used as a rapier, broad blade, and scalpel, all in the same 
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one-sided duel; and

 
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    WHEREAS, This resolution could also recount the reverence 
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held for Elvis, The Duke Wayne, Ike, and Harry, but those 
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legends and countless others might now be on call to be "grab a 
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bite" in another place with our chronicler and friend, Steve 
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Neal; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Steve Neal's accomplishments have been detailed 
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by some of our most gifted writers in recent days so those 
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achievements need not be redundantly recounted here; and

 
 


 






HR0087
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LRB094 07593 CSA 37765 r




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    WHEREAS, Beyond his written words that appeared in the 
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Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune, the hundreds of pages 
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of books or those verbal musings broadcast across the state, 
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Steve Neal will be remembered, cherished, and missed as a 
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person who could bring divergent, sometimes combative, 
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personas together to find common ground or, more often, set 
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aside those differences while making time to celebrate the 
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magic of our humanity; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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we express our deepest sympathies on the passing of Steve Neal 
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to the family, friends, and colleagues of Steve Neal and, 
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further, our appreciation for the contribution Steve Neal made 
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to the betterment of the quality of life for the people of the 
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State of Illinois; and be it further

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