SR0567 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0567 LRB102 20893 MST 29777 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Elaine L. Rundle-Schwark of Springfield, who passed away on October 5, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark was born to Richard and Eleanor Rundle on December 8, 1945; she was educated in the Boston public schools and graduated with a degree in education from Boston State Teachers College (University of Massachusetts-Boston) in 1968; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark became the foster parent to two sisters, Ruthann and Wanda Montgomery, in June of 1984; the following year she legally adopted them; she married Stephen Schwark on October 9, 1987, and the family moved to Springfield in 1988 when Stephen accepted a teaching position at Sangamon State University (University of Illinois-Springfield); and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark was a fifth-grade teacher at John Marshall Elementary School in Boston for over two decades; she received numerous awards for her excellence in teaching and was a demanding but effective teacher who students came to love; while teaching full time, she completed a master's degree in education focused on counselor training; in the 1980s, she began work towards a doctorate in education; after moving to Springfield in 1988, she worked with students in the 5th grade at St. Agnes School as a case study for her dissertation, which she defended in the Spring of 1992; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark began to teach part time in Sangamon State University's Applied Study Term, an internship program, after completing her Ed.D.; she soon became assistant director, and from 2003 to 2009, she served as director; she remained a faculty member for almost 20 years, retiring in August of 2009 and ending a remarkable 40-year career in education; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark and her husband especially loved taking their grandchildren on vacations; she loved to decorate and for 12 years lived in a near century old Victorian home in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston; in 1999, she designed the house that she and Steve had built; she was a gifted genealogist and produced books on the history of both her family and her husband's family; she was also a woman of great faith and a long-time member of the congregation of Cherry Hills Church; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark was preceded in death by her daughter, Ruthie, and her sisters, Martha and Anita Borrell; and

WHEREAS, Elaine Rundle-Schwark is survived by her husband of 34 years, Steve; her daughter, Wanda; her grandchildren, Alair, Mason, and Alexander "Xander"; her sister, Evelyn (Steve Pedro); and her brother, Richard (Judy); therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Elaine L. Rundle-Schwark and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Elaine Rundle-Schwark as an expression of our deepest sympathy.