SR0219 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Anne Smedinghoff of River Forest, who was killed in Afghanistan on April 6, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Anne Smedinghoff served as a foreign service officer and was in Afghanistan working as a press officer for the U.S. embassy in Kabul; she was involved in helping Afghan journalists cover an event at a boys' school where the local U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team was working to donate math and science books; she had been in Afghanistan since July 2012 working in the public diplomacy department for the local population, helping women and working with schools and local businesses; she had been in the foreign service for 3 years; and

WHEREAS, Anne Smedinghoff had a passion for the work she was doing and particularly enjoyed the opportunity to interact directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for chances to reach out and help make a difference; she loved to travel and the foreign service allowed her to see the world and help those in need; one of her favorite projects was working with the Afghan women's national soccer team and helping it gain greater acceptance inside Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, Anne Smedinghoff was a Fenwick High School graduate; she attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she majored in international studies and became the key organizer of the university's annual Foreign Affairs Symposium in 2008; after college she went into the U.S. Foreign Service and began her career at a post in Caracas, Venezuela; and

WHEREAS, Anne Smedinghoff's desire to help others began before she entered foreign service; the passing of her grandfather from cancer when she was 11 got her involved in raising money for cancer research and in 2009 she took part in The 4K for Cancer cross-country bike ride and she rode from Baltimore to San Francisco; and

WHEREAS, Anne Smedinghoff loved a physical challenge; she rode her bike with friends from the Dead Sea in Israel to the Red Sea in Jordan and had been running laps to train for a marathon; and

WHEREAS, Anne Smedinghoff is survived by her parents, Tom and Mary Beth Smedinghoff; her brother; and her 2 younger sisters; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Anne Smedinghoff, recognize the sacrifice she made for her country, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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