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 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  Senate  of  the  State  of
 3    Illinois  learned with regret of the passing of Kathryn "Kay"
 4    Katz of Wilmette on July 28, 2003; and

 5        WHEREAS, Kathryn Katz was  born  in  1941  in  Milwaukee,
 6    Wisconsin; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Katz was an elementary school teacher for
 8    more than 31 years, and  she  always  required  more  of  her
 9    students  than  they themselves knew they could produce; much
10    of her career was spent at Harper  School  in  Wilmette;  she
11    originally  taught  in  Chicago  and Morton Grove; during her
12    early years in  Wilmette,  she  taught  gifted  programs  and
13    special education; while her own children were young, she was
14    the  homebound  tutor  for  students who could not physically
15    attend school due to accidents, illnesses,  or  disabilities;
16    and

17        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Katz  frequently  changed grade levels to
18    avoid repetition and  to  retain  a  fresh  perspective;  she
19    established,  developed,  and grew major class room events; a
20    favorite was the "Oregon Trail" where the children dressed in
21    period garb of historical people; "Lewis and  Clark"  marched
22    alongside  horse-drawn  covered  wagons from Harper School to
23    the Pacific Shore (Lake Michigan in Wilmette); traversing the
24    wilderness, students were attacked  by  buffalo,  other  wild
25    animals,   and   Native  Americans;  they  also  passed  many
26    neighborhood homes under the guise of forts and outposts; and

27        WHEREAS,   Other   projects   recreated   the   Colombian
28    Exposition, which included handmade models  and  drawings  of
29    the  South  Side  event; students dressed up as the prominent
30    historical figures associated with the event, such as  Daniel
31    Burnham  and  Sally  Rand,  while  others were given artistic
32    license and impersonated other famous Chicagoans who may  not
 
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 1    have been specifically associated with the world's fair, such
 2    as   Charles  A.  Comiskey  or  Richard  Sears;  in  studying
 3    dinosaurs,  Mrs.  Katz  acquired  whole  chickens  for   each
 4    student;  they  boiled  the  chickens  and from the carcasses
 5    reassembled the entire skeletons on poster board to  consider
 6    the  concept  that  birds come from dinosaurs; teaching local
 7    history took the form of a stage play one year and  a  puppet
 8    show another; and

 9        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Katz  also  held  fundraisers and had her
10    students assist Wilmette residents to establish  the  Village
11    of  Wilmette  Prairie  Preserve at the edge of Thornwood Park
12    near Harper school; and

13        WHEREAS, Mrs. Katz's other passion was helping  establish
14    group homes for mentally ill adults in Chicago's North Shore;
15    approximately  15  years  ago  she  was  one  of the founding
16    members of WilPower; she was the primary mentor of the  first
17    presidents  of  WilPower  and  was  elected president herself
18    about 4 years ago; and

19        WHEREAS, Mrs. Katz  met  with  many  village  presidents,
20    overcoming  the major obstacles that were so prevalent in the
21    early years of WilPower; Mrs. Katz worked to show  WilPower's
22    success  with 5 group homes and that group homes can actually
23    be the least problematic neighbors and do  nothing  to  lower
24    property values; and

25        WHEREAS,  Mrs. Katz was on the social action committee at
26    the Beth Hillel Synagogue in  Wilmette  and  participated  in
27    cooking and serving at soup kitchens in Chicago; and

28        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Katz  and  her husband enjoyed traveling,
29    visiting the Orient, Europe, and North  America;  the  Katz's
30    house  and yard were always full of fresh flowers and plants,
31    and  Mrs.  Katz  partook  in  elaborate  cooking   and   home
32    improvement; she and her husband personally renovated their 5
 
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 1    homes in the Wilmette area; and

 2        WHEREAS, The passing of Kathryn Katz has been deeply felt
 3    by  all  who  knew  and  loved  her,  especially her husband,
 4    Michael Katz; her  daughter,  Carrie  Katz;  her  son,  Craig
 5    (Pamela)  Katz; her granddaughter, Gabrielle "Brie" Katz; and
 6    her brothers, Howard Kane and Neal (Lyn) Kane; therefore,  be
 7    it

 8        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
 9    ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along  with
10    all  who knew her, the death of Kathryn Katz of Wilmette; and
11    be it further

12        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
13    presented  to  the  family of Kathryn Katz with our sincerest
14    condolences.