SR0442 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0442 LRB095 14601 KXB 40555 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of William W. Schooley Jr. of Granite City, who passed away on November 12, 2007; and

WHEREAS, William Schooley was born on April 2, 1929, in Granite City; a lifelong Granite City resident, William Schooley graduated from Granite City High School in 1947 after a string of winning seasons as a football and track and field player; in 1946, playing in the Number 48 jersey, he was part of the team that won the Southwest Conference Championship, the same year he was named a Prep Football Player of the Year; and

WHEREAS, He graduated valedictorian of his class of 1947 and in 1951 attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, where he also played football for the Army; and

WHEREAS, After his time at West Point, he was deployed overseas to serve in the Korea War; in the 1960s, he attended Saint Louis University and received a law degree, eventually opening his own personal injury firm in Granite City; he held membership in the Madison County Bar Association, where he became president; later, his client list included mostly municipal agencies, including the Granite City school board, Granite City Township and the Madison County Regional Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, William Schooley played an important role in the creation of the Granite City Sports Hall of Fame, a collection of memorabilia, photos, and trophies from the city's storied athletic past housed at the Nelson Hagnauer Sports Complex; the center opened in 1986 and was largely funded by Mr. Schooley, although he never sought credit for it; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents, Martha (Greene) Lengyel and William W. Schooley Sr; and

WHEREAS, William Schooley Jr. is survived by his four sons, William W. Schooley III, Rick (Joyce) Schooley, Jack (Barb) Schooley, and Thomas (Kathy) Schooley; his daughters, Cassie (Mark) Iken, and Billie Jo Schooley; and his fourteen grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of William W. Schooley Jr.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of William W. Schooley Jr. as a symbol of our sympathy.