SR1686 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1686 LRB099 21039 GRL 46114 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of John M. Boler of Inverness and Sanibel Island, Florida, who passed away on March 4, 2016; and

WHEREAS, John Boler was born on April 4, 1934 in Marion, Ohio; his parents were John William and Violet Pearl Boler; he attended elementary and high school at St. Mary's in Marion; he subsequently earned his business degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956, during which he served in the ROTC; and

WHEREAS, After graduation, John Boler served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Transportation Corps at Fort Eustis, Virginia; after six months of active duty, he continued to participate in the Army Reserve, where he was eventually honorably discharged at the rank of Captain; and

WHEREAS, After graduation from college, John Boler landed a promising position at the Clevite Corporation, where at 26 he became the youngest plant manager in the company's history; ten years later, he became the company's youngest general manager; when Clevite merged with Gould, Inc., he moved his family to Chicago in 1971, where he guided the international electronics conglomerate's entry into South America and other markets; by the age of 43, he had facilitated or participated in 20 mergers and acquisitions for Gould; in 1977, he left Gould and started his own company, which would eventually become the Boler Company; with asset-based loans from major banks, he purchased four manufacturing companies, including Hendrickson, the world's leading supplier of heavy-duty truck suspensions; through his vision and leadership, the company modernized and grew to what has become one of America's largest privately held corporations; he served actively as Chairman of the Board until his death; and

WHEREAS, John Boler served as a Trustee at John Carroll University for 26 years; his philanthropy led to the naming of the John and Mary Jo Boler School of Business in 1996 and the D.J. Lombardo Student Center in 1994; in 2005, he received the University's highest honor, the Alumni Medal; his service as Trustee and his philanthropy towards Rush University Medical Center led to the naming of the Mary Jo and John Boler Centers for Advanced Imaging in 2005, and Rush's highest honor, the Trustee Medal, in 2015; he served on and chaired the American Cancer Society's National Foundation Board and supported many educational, healthcare, and autism-related causes around the country, along with groups near and dear to his heart on Sanibel Island; he also quietly made college education possible for many friends and family; and

WHEREAS, John Boler was preceded in death by his son, John Matthew, and his sisters, Barbara and Nancy; and

WHEREAS, John Boler is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary Jo; his daughters, Judy (Ray) McCormack and Jill (Dan) McCormack; his sons, Jim (Celeste) Boler, Mike (Jamie) Boler, and Matt (Christine) Boler, his grandchildren, Danny, Luke, Matt, John, Alex, Ray, Michael, Katie, Ben, Tricia, Domenic, Gina, and John; his sisters, Marilyn (Bill) Lowe, JoAnna (Jim) Cunningham, and Betty Jo (Bill) Whetro; his brother-in-law, Dave Lombardo; and his many nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of John M. Boler; and be it further

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