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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of John M. Boler of Inverness and Sanibel
4Island, Florida, who passed away on March 4, 2016; and
 
5    WHEREAS, John Boler was born on April 4, 1934 in Marion,
6Ohio; his parents were John William and Violet Pearl Boler; he
7attended elementary and high school at St. Mary's in Marion; he
8subsequently earned his business degree from John Carroll
9University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956, during which he served
10in the ROTC; and
 
11    WHEREAS, After graduation, John Boler served as a second
12lieutenant in the United States Army Transportation Corps at
13Fort Eustis, Virginia; after six months of active duty, he
14continued to participate in the Army Reserve, where he was
15eventually honorably discharged at the rank of Captain; and
 
16    WHEREAS, After graduation from college, John Boler landed a
17promising position at the Clevite Corporation, where at 26 he
18became the youngest plant manager in the company's history; ten
19years later, he became the company's youngest general manager;
20when Clevite merged with Gould, Inc., he moved his family to
21Chicago in 1971, where he guided the international electronics
22conglomerate's entry into South America and other markets; by

 

 

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1the age of 43, he had facilitated or participated in 20 mergers
2and acquisitions for Gould; in 1977, he left Gould and started
3his own company, which would eventually become the Boler
4Company; with asset-based loans from major banks, he purchased
5four manufacturing companies, including Hendrickson, the
6world's leading supplier of heavy-duty truck suspensions;
7through his vision and leadership, the company modernized and
8grew to what has become one of America's largest privately held
9corporations; he served actively as Chairman of the Board until
10his death; and
 
11    WHEREAS, John Boler served as a Trustee at John Carroll
12University for 26 years; his philanthropy led to the naming of
13the John and Mary Jo Boler School of Business in 1996 and the
14D.J. Lombardo Student Center in 1994; in 2005, he received the
15University's highest honor, the Alumni Medal; his service as
16Trustee and his philanthropy towards Rush University Medical
17Center led to the naming of the Mary Jo and John Boler Centers
18for Advanced Imaging in 2005, and Rush's highest honor, the
19Trustee Medal, in 2015; he served on and chaired the American
20Cancer Society's National Foundation Board and supported many
21educational, healthcare, and autism-related causes around the
22country, along with groups near and dear to his heart on
23Sanibel Island; he also quietly made college education possible
24for many friends and family; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, John Boler was preceded in death by his son, John
2Matthew, and his sisters, Barbara and Nancy; and
 
3    WHEREAS, John Boler is survived by his wife of 58 years,
4Mary Jo; his daughters, Judy (Ray) McCormack and Jill (Dan)
5McCormack; his sons, Jim (Celeste) Boler, Mike (Jamie) Boler,
6and Matt (Christine) Boler, his grandchildren, Danny, Luke,
7Matt, John, Alex, Ray, Michael, Katie, Ben, Tricia, Domenic,
8Gina, and John; his sisters, Marilyn (Bill) Lowe, JoAnna (Jim)
9Cunningham, and Betty Jo (Bill) Whetro; his brother-in-law,
10Dave Lombardo; and his many nieces and nephews; therefore, be
11it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his
14family and friends, mourn the passing of John M. Boler; and be
15it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of John Boler as an expression of our
18sympathy.