HR0063

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to 
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the family and friends of Thomas G. Lyons of Chicago, who 
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passed away on January 12, 2007; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Thomas Lyons was born May 24, 1931 in Chicago; he 
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was raised on Chicago's Northwest Side in our Lady of Victory 
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Parish; he was the son of Marian (Daniels) and Thomas V. Lyons, 
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the former Chicago Chief of Uniformed  Police; and



 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was a graduate of Campion Jesuit High 
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School, Xavier University, Loyola University Chicago, and the 
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Loyola University Chicago School of Law; and



 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons followed in his father's footsteps as a 
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Chicago Police officer; he became an attorney in 1957 and 
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served as the chief attorney for the Cook County Assessor's 
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Office from 1958 to 1960 before joining the office of the 
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Illinois Attorney General; and



 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was elected State Senator in 1964; the 
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next year he was elected to serve in a leadership role for the 
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State commission studying the need for a new State 
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constitution; he was later elected a delegate to the 1970 
 


 






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Constitutional Convention, serving as vice president during 
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the drafting of the 1970 Illinois Constitution; and



 
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    WHEREAS, While a member of the Illinois Senate Mr. Lyons 
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served as chairman of the Appropriations and the Constitutional 
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Implementation committees; and 

 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons, the 45th Ward Democratic Committeeman 
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since 1968, was first elected chairman of the Cook County 
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Democratic Party in 1990, a position he held for nearly 
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seventeen years; he also served as a delegate to every 
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Democratic National Convention from 1968 to 2000; and


 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was named a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre 
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by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin and was awarded a Medal 
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of Excellence by his alma mater, the Loyola University Chicago 
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School of Law; and


 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was named by former President Bill 
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Clinton to the American Battle Monuments Commission as a 
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reflection of his dedication to military service and to the men 
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and women who have worn our country's uniform; Mr. Lyons served 
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in the United States Army achieving the rank of Captain in the 
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Army Rangers; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was a practicing attorney as a named 
 


 






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partner in the firm of O'Keefe, Ashenden, Lyons & Ward, later 
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O'Keefe, Lyons and Hynes; a man of many diverse interests, Mr. 
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Lyons was an avid scholar of American history, as well as a 
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devout fan of Notre Dame, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago 
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Bears (and in that order!); and


 
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    WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons is survived by his loving wife, Ruth 
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(Tobin); his children, Alexandra (Thomas) Cooney, Thomas V. 
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(Margo), Francis X. (Mary Pat), and Rachel (James) Cooper; his 
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grandchildren Anne Marie, Thomas and Sheila Lyons, Caroline, 
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Elizabeth and Frances Lyons, and Alexandra and William Cooper; 
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his sister, Patricia Breen; his cousin and dear friend, State 
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Representative Joseph Lyons; and his many good friends and 
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admirers; therefore, be it



 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Thomas 
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G. Lyons; and be it further 
 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Thomas G. Lyons as an expression of 
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our deepest sympathy for their loss.