SR0971 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0971 LRB102 26990 ECR 38222 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Michael Stokely Kelly, who passed away on September 2, 2021 at the age of 52; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly was born in Chicago on October 25, 1968; at age four, his family moved to Oak Park, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly attended the Hawthorne and Holmes Elementary Schools and Oak Park and River Forest High School; and

WHEREAS, During high school, Michael Kelly wrote for the school newspaper, acted in stage plays, and was the junior class president; the highlight of these years was his directorial debut for the Little Theater; while casting for the play Bleacher Bums, he selected multiple students who had no prior acting experience; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan in 1991; he later earned a master's degree in Social Work and, in 2006, a doctoral degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago; and

WHEREAS, In his career as a helping professional, Michael Kelly served as a family therapist, a youth minister at St. Giles Family Mass, and a school social worker for 14 years, first at Indian Trail Middle School in Addison and later at Mann and Lincoln Elementary Schools in Oak Park; and

WHEREAS, After completing his doctoral degree, Michael Kelly entered academia by joining the faculty of the School of Social Work at Loyola University; in 2020, he was named the Lucian Welch and Carol Matusak Endowed Chair; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly was also a prolific writer in the social work field; he published more than 100 articles, and one of his books was recently translated into Japanese; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly earned a fellowship at the Oxford University Symposium for School-Based Family Counseling; in that role, he edited the School Mental Health Journal and the International Journal of School Social Work; all the while, he mentored countless students in the United States and Canada; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly ran in a number of marathons, including those in Chicago, Rome, and Ireland, and competed in a total of 18 international races; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly was preceded in death by his father, Richard Kelly; and

WHEREAS, Michael Kelly is survived by his wife, Lucy Fox; their three sons, Benjamin, Isaac, and Alfred; his mother, Karen Kelly; his brother-in-law, Daniel (Susan) Fox; his parent-in-laws, Win and Alan Fox; and his countless relatives and friends; 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 Michael Stokely Kelly and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Michael Kelly as an expression of our deepest sympathy.