HR0478LRB101 13102 ALS 61939 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Melvin Mathias on the
4occasion of his 90th birthday; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Melvin Mathias was born in Fulda, Germany to Erich
6and Kathinka on November 23, 1929; he came to the United States
7with his parents and maternal grandparents, Lazurus and
8Hannchen Goldmeier, to escape the religious persecution by the
9Nazis in October 1936; sponsored by his aunt and uncle, Louis
10and Molly Frank, the family traveled from Germany to Havre,
11France to board the Cunard White Star Ship Britannic; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Melvin Mathias and his family settled on Chicago's
13South Side, where he attended Libby Grammar School; he became a
14United States citizen on July 7, 1942; he graduated from Edward
15Tilden Career Community High School and then attended Woodrow
16Wilson Junior College, now Kennedy-King College, for two years
17and aspired to transfer to the Illinois Institute of
18Technology; instead, he was drafted into the United States Army
19during the Korean War; from 1951 until 1953, he served in the
20336th Engineer Utilities Detachment in Korea; initially
21trained to serve as a surveyor, he was subsequently assigned to
22be a plumber; and
 

 

 

HR0478- 2 -LRB101 13102 ALS 61939 r

1    WHEREAS, After he was discharged from the United States
2Army, Melvin Mathias began working for his uncle Ernest at
3Quality Sheet Metal Works; he enjoyed the work so much that he
4made it his career; after the death of Ernest, he and his
5cousin Sidney became co-owners of Quality Sheet Metal Works;
6Melvin ran the day-to-day business until it closed in 1992; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 1955, Melvin Mathias married Joanne Decker, and
8they had two children, Linda and Larry; he built his first home
9on South Marquette Avenue in Chicago, where they lived until
10moving to Homewood in 1970; after Joanne's death in 1990, he
11married Adrienne (Brill) Cohen in 1993; she passed away in
122012; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Today, Melvin Mathias remains active through his
14volunteer work with area veteran's groups; he currently serves
15as Quartermaster and Corresponding Secretary of the Jewish War
16Veterans of the United States of America Pvt. Sam Neivelt Post
17407 and as an active member of the Homewood VFW 807;
18previously, he served as co-commander of the Jewish War
19Veterans of the United States of America Pvt. Sam Neivelt Post
20407; in recognition of his service during the Korean War, he
21participated in a Chicago Honor Flight in 2016; he also remains
22active in the local computer society and enjoys traveling and
23spending time with his family; therefore, be it
 

 

 

HR0478- 3 -LRB101 13102 ALS 61939 r

1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate Melvin Mathias on the occasion of his 90th
4birthday on November 23, 2019; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to Melvin Mathias as an expression of our esteem and
7respect.