HR0234

LRB095 11696 KXB 34158 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Steve Neal was the political columnist at the 
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Chicago Sun-Times from 1987 until his passing in 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, His journalism was credited with influencing 
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elections, spurring the City of Chicago to change from a 
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partisan to a non-partisan system in mayoral elections, and 
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gathering support for the Illinois State Library being renamed 
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the Gwendolyn Brooks Illinois State Library; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He was a three-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize 
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in Commentary; he was the author, co-editor, and co-author of 
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eleven books, ranging from a biography of Wendell Wilkie to a 
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book about the correspondence between Harry Truman and Eleanor 
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Roosevelt; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Steve Neal was a graduate of the University of 
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Oregon and the Columbia University School of Journalism; he was 
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inducted into the School of Journalism and Communications Hall 
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of Achievement at the University of Oregon in 2003; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Steve Neal will be remembered most for a series of 
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articles in his column that prevented the Abraham Lincoln 
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Presidential Library in Springfield from becoming a political 
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patronage dumping ground; in recognition of his hard work and 
 


 






HR0234
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LRB095 11696 KXB 34158 r




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efforts, the "Steve Neal Reading Room" has been established in 
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the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Steve Neal would gather his friends around a table 
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by the fireplace in Gene & Georgetti's restaurant in Chicago to 
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trade political news and insights; on March 23, 2007 the 
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fireplace was dedicated to the memory of Steve Neal; therefore, 
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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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celebrate the life and career of Steve Neal; 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 Steve Neal as a symbol of our 
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respect.