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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
4 State Representative Mrs. Virginia Fiester Frederick, who
5 passed away on May 30, 2010 at the age of 93; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Virginia Fiester Frederick was born in Linden,
7 Iowa and is survived by three children, eight grandchildren,
8 and seven great-grandchildren; and
 
9     WHEREAS, After graduating from the University of Iowa and
10 starting a family, Mrs. Frederick made a career for herself in
11 the fashion industry, and soon became involved in public
12 service; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Mrs. Frederick became the first woman in history
14 to be elected to the Lake Forest City Council, where she served
15 as an alderman from 1974 until 1979; her interest in politics
16 and her desire to serve the people blossomed during her tenure
17 as a Lake Forest City Council member and Ms. Frederick grew
18 inspired to serve at the State level; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 1978, Mrs. Frederick was elected to the
20 Illinois House of Representatives where she dedicated herself
21 to serving the people of Illinois; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Virginia Fiester Frederick worked on several
2 pieces of legislation to fight back against the street gangs
3 that were growing in numbers and power during the 1990s; Mrs.
4 Frederick endeavored with several of her colleagues to pass
5 bipartisan legislation creating the Statewide Organized
6 Criminal Gang Database (SWORD), operated by the Illinois State
7 Police; SWORD has been instrumental in combating the operations
8 of organized criminal gangs in Illinois for more than a decade;
9 and
 
10     WHEREAS, Mrs. Frederick focused most of her efforts on
11 helping the State's most vulnerable populations; she spent much
12 of her time working on child welfare issues and, as divorce
13 rates were skyrocketing, was instrumental in updating child
14 support laws; she was also committed to improving nursing home
15 safety and ensuring that the needs of Illinois's growing senior
16 citizen population were met; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Although she retired from her position as a State
18 Representative nearly 20 years ago, many of Virginia Fiester
19 Frederick's legislative contributions continue to have a
20 profound affect on the people of Illinois; in 1991, she
21 developed the Illinois Domestic Abuse of Disabled Adults
22 Intervention Act, which created the Domestic Abuse Project
23 (DAP) within the Department of Human Services (DHS); DAP

 

 

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1 provides a toll-free telephone number for voluntary reporting
2 of abuse, neglect, or illegal exploitation of disabled adults;
3 these reports are then investigated by DHS and action is taken
4 to protect and aid the victim; thanks to her legislation,
5 disabled adults and their loved ones have somewhere to turn
6 when faced with abuse; DAP receives and investigates hundreds
7 of new cases each year; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In spite of being raised in Iowa, Mrs. Frederick
9 held a deep-seated love for Illinois; as a legislator, she
10 demonstrated this love by fighting for additional
11 environmental protections and by working to preserve
12 historical landmarks; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Virginia Fiester Frederick's tireless efforts
14 have made Illinois a better and more hopeful place for all
15 citizens; her family requests that, in lieu of flowers,
16 contributions be made to the Illinois Historical Society as a
17 way of honoring the late Virginia Fiester Frederick's passion
18 for our beautiful State and its history; therefore, be it
 
19     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21 mourn, along with her family, friends, and all those whose
22 lives have been blessed by her presence, the passing of Mrs.
23 Virginia Fiester Frederick; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to the family of Mrs. Virginia Fiester Frederick as a
3 symbol of our sincere sympathy.