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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Harold
4Byers of Highland, who passed away on December 9, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was born in Folsomville, Indiana to
6Ella Mae and Harold J. Byers on October 6, 1935; he married
7Nancy Reinke on December 3, 1955; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Harold Byers began his career as a teacher and
9basketball coach for five years; he spent the remainder of his
10career in the textbook business, first as a sales
11representative for McGraw-Hill and later as owner of B&B Book
12Supply; he devoted his entire life to promoting libraries and
13encouraging people to read and learn; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Harold Byers served as a state representative in
15the Illinois General Assembly and was a champion of civil
16rights and equal rights for all; his support for the Equal
17Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as a downstate
18legislator earned him the wrath of Phyllis Schlafly and Anita
19Bryant, which he proudly wore as a badge of honor; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was a progressive on civil rights
21and social issues, though he was a fiscal conservative who

 

 

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1believed in balanced budgets, and was a true watchdog of
2taxpayer dollars; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Harold Byers' first bill as a freshman legislator
4changed Illinois history by reforming the manner in which
5state legislators were paid; on his first day in office, he
6learned that a century old Illinois law required all
7legislators to be paid their entire annual salary on the day
8they were sworn in; he sponsored a bill, now law, that required
9legislators to be paid on a monthly basis only after they
10worked each month; his bill and law won the support of 635,138
11grateful Illinois voters who signed petitions to help win
12passage of the long overdue legislative salary reform; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was a caring legislator who won
14passage of many important laws, including consumer
15protections, nursing home reform, political ethics reform, and
16help for working people who lived from paycheck to paycheck;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was fiercely and fearlessly
19independent as a legislator; he was awarded the Outstanding
20Legislator Award from the Independent Voters of Illinois for
21each of the two terms he served in the Illinois House of
22Representatives; he believed in opening government to the
23public and press; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was a member of the Madison County
2Board for 16 years, where he again served as a watchdog of
3taxpayer dollars; during his tenure, he became highly
4distressed that Madison County was without a county health
5department; he was disturbed that county residents were forced
6to travel to adjacent counties, Bond and Clinton, to obtain
7vaccinations for their young children; he therefore, as an
8advocate for good healthcare for all, was instrumental in the
9establishment of the Madison County Health Department; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Harold Byers served on the Metro East Park and
11Recreation District, helping to improve the district's park
12system for the betterment of the Metro-East area; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was appointed to the Illinois State
14Board of Elections by Governor Pat Quinn, where he served for a
15number of years and worked tirelessly to assure Illinois
16elections remained free and fair for all; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Every year on his birthday, Harold Byers and his
18wife Nancy organized a bean dinner at their home, where dozens
19of friends came to celebrate and raise funds for the local food
20pantry; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was a member of the Evangelical

 

 

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1United Church of Christ in Highland; he had a generous spirit
2and lived his life to the fullest, enjoying his travels across
3America and his worldwide excursions; he enjoyed attending
4sporting events and was an avid fan of both horse racing and
5the Chicago Cubs; he was thrilled to see his Cubs win the 2016
6World Series and proudly attended one of the World Series
7games in Chicago to root for his team; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Harold Byers was preceded in death by his
9parents; his sister, Elaine Grundhoefer; his brother, Ronald
10Byers; and his daughter-in-law, Deborah Byers; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Harold Byers is survived by his loving wife of 66
12years, Nancy; his children, Cheryl Byers, Sheila Byers (Rich
13Ullman), Keith (Patricia) Byers, Lana (Willard) Herman, Greg
14(Jane) Byers, Jeff Byers (Angela Schmidt), and Phil Byers; his
15grandchildren, Mandy Eyrich, Kim Fulton, Ashley Dickey,
16Margaret Byers, Eric Byers, Katelyn Kuk, Catherine Byers, Tara
17Byers, Maxwell Byers, Jennifer Ullman, Elaine Herman, Peter
18Byers, and Hannah Clifford; his great-grandchildren, Emmaline
19Eyrich, Spencer Eyrich, Emmalyn Dickey, Nora Dickey, Henry
20Dean Byers, Briella Byers, Miles Fulton, Grayson Davis, and
21Cameron Kuk, with two more on the way; and his brothers, Gary
22and Sam Byers; therefore, be it
 
23    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE

 

 

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1HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2we mourn the passing of Harold Dean Byers and extend our
3sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
4and loved him; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to the family of Harold Byers as an expression of our
7deepest sympathy.