SR0331 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Richard "Dick" Everett Fallow of Davenport, Iowa, who passed away on April 13, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Richard Fallow was born on August 23, 1920, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Everett and Gladys Bennett Fallow; in 1937, while on a youth hostel bicycle trip to Europe, his life would be changed forever by the poverty and war he witnessed firsthand; and

WHEREAS, Richard Fallow graduated from Amherst College in 1942; he joined the American Field Service during World War II and served as an ambulance driver for 2 years; he was assigned to the 8th British Army in North Africa; while volunteering for the AFS, he witnessed the poor treatment and living conditions the Jewish population faced; and

WHEREAS, Upon returning home, Richard Fallow began working for the United Electrical and Radio Workers Union; he fought for workers' rights and continued to organize for fair and equal business laws for employees, which eventually led him to Sioux County, Iowa; it was there that he met his wife, Wilhelmina "Mickey" DeVries; and

WHEREAS, In 1951, Richard Fallow and his wife, Mickey were united in marriage; they moved to Davenport, Iowa, in 1952 and started their family, which includes 3 daughters; and

WHEREAS, Richard Fallow continued to be active with labor unions and joined the staff of the National AFL-CIO, serving as an area director of the Committee on Political Education (COPE); his contributions to the workforce were exemplary, always conscious of the well-being of workers and their families and striving constantly to improve the laws that protect the American worker; he officially retired in 1988 from COPE; and

WHEREAS, At 87 years old, Richard Fallow was awarded with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the East Central Iowa-Northwestern Illinois AFL-CIO Hall of Fame; he continued to encourage others to work toward the ultimate goal of making the United States a better place to live and work; and

WHEREAS, Richard Fallow had a great compassion toward society as a whole, and he passed those same values on to his children and grandchildren; he will be lovingly remembered as not only a pioneer activist for the labor movement but also as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather; and

WHEREAS, Richard Fallow was a musician, photographer, and organic gardener; he was a member of the Quad City Regional Musician's Union-Local 67, National Alliance of Retired Americans, Progressive Action for the Common Good, along with other long-standing associations through the National Federation of Labor; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Richard Fallow, 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 Richard Fallow as an expression of our deepest sympathy.