SR0159 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0159 LRB102 17623 LAW 23355 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Joseph Gregory "Greg" Gulick of Villa Grove, who passed away on February 16, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick was born in Danville to Karen (Mitchell) and Joseph Lee Gulick on March 22, 1964; he attended the University of Illinois before transferring to Saint Louis University's Parks College to become an avionics engineer; he married Patricia "Tish" Francis in Shelton, Connecticut on July 28, 1989, and they had three sons; and

WHEREAS, After graduating and earning his private pilot's license, Greg Gulick got a job at Sikorsky Helicopter at their office in Bridgeport, Connecticut; and

WHEREAS, Alongside his wife, Greg Gulick was called to the ministry and joined The Way International; after completing their ministry training, they worked in Michigan for several years; during this time, he also taught himself computer programming and accepted a position as a part-time software engineer for the Sabre Corporation; after his third son was born, his family moved to Villa Grove; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick was offered the position of senior project manager in the Decision Support Unit by the University of Illinois (UI), and he began his UI career in October 2003; he was promoted six times; he eventually served as the deputy chief information officer (CIO) in Technology Services, and he served as interim CIO starting in June 2019; he nurtured his entire staff and connected with people across campus to build strong relationships with those Tech Services supports; he led several major efforts, including creating the innovation group, implementing unified communications, expanding campus networks, and launching the security initiative; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick was at the helm of Tech Services in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the University of Illinois to move all classes online during the seven-day spring break; alongside his team, he worked around the clock to meet the challenge; throughout the pandemic, he served on the university-wide COVID-19 Steering Committee and led the Tech Services team as they built the complex systems and applications to support UI's novel saliva testing program and the entire SHIELD ecosystem; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick continued to work at the University of Illinois even after contracting COVID-19; he attended meetings remotely and offered his staff and other colleagues wisdom, moral support, or just a funny comment to make them laugh; despite the tremendous responsibility and workload, he approached his job with confidence, compassion, and a laser focus on doing everything possible to help UI students, faculty, staff, and the greater community stay safe during the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick was deeply committed to his faith; he enjoyed golfing, and he scored a hole-in-one on two separate occasions; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick was known for his thoughtful approach to problem solving; he will be remembered as a leader who changed the University of Illinois for the better, as a son and brother who was the darling of his family, as a husband who loved his wife with his whole heart, and as a father who loved each of his sons completely and uniquely; and

WHEREAS, Greg Gulick was the husband of Patricia "Tish"; the father of Joseph, James "Jake", and Matthew; the son of Karen (Mitchell) and Joseph Lee Gulick; the stepson of Alfred Hettinger; the brother of Denise Rieser (Gil) and Michelle Osborne; and the friend to many; 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 Joseph Gregory "Greg" Gulick 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 Greg Gulick as an expression of our deepest sympathy.