Full Text of SR0744 94th General Assembly
SR0744 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate were deeply saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of Berardo J. "Dee" DeSimone Sr. of | 4 |
| Elmhurst, the former regional superintendent of schools in | 5 |
| DuPage County, on April 26, 2006; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone was born to Italian immigrant parents | 7 |
| and raised in Chicago; he attended Crane Tech High School; | 8 |
| after his graduation in 1944, he attended Iowa State University | 9 |
| on a football scholarship and received his associate's degree | 10 |
| in education; he also played baseball and was drafted by the | 11 |
| Boston Red Sox; and
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| WHEREAS, While at Iowa State, Mr. DeSimone suffered an | 13 |
| injury and returned home, where he attended DePaul University; | 14 |
| from 1948 through 1950 he was a teacher with the Chicago Board | 15 |
| of Education; he earned his bachelor of science degree in | 16 |
| education at DePaul in 1949; he went on to receive his | 17 |
| doctorate from Rhode Island University and completed | 18 |
| coursework at Northwestern University, Northern Illinois | 19 |
| University, and Loyola University; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone was drafted into the Army in 1950; a | 21 |
| year later, while on leave, he married Sally Rose, whom he met | 22 |
| while dancing at the Paradise Ballroom; after his Army service, | 23 |
| he joined Berkeley School District 87 in 1952; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone served the District a total of 22 | 25 |
| years, as teacher, assistant principal, director of the | 26 |
| physical education department, business manager, assistant | 27 |
| superintendent, and superintendent; while serving as a | 28 |
| principal in 1958, shortly after the Our Lady of the Angels | 29 |
| fire that killed 92 students and three nuns in Chicago, he | 30 |
| helped develop and write the State's life safety codes; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone joined the Illinois State Board of | 2 |
| Education as an educational specialist in 1974; he became | 3 |
| assistant regional superintendent of schools in DuPage County | 4 |
| in 1976; he was first appointed to the post of regional | 5 |
| superintendent in 1985 and served through 2003; he never faced | 6 |
| an opponent for election or re-election; and
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| WHEREAS, As one of the 45 statewide regional | 8 |
| superintendents, Mr. DeSimone acted as an intermediary between | 9 |
| the 43 county school districts and the Illinois State Board of | 10 |
| Education; he helped shape new programs for the districts, | 11 |
| including the development of the DuPage Area Vocational | 12 |
| Education Association, now the DuPage Area Occupational | 13 |
| Education System; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone also served as chairman of the | 15 |
| Illinois State Board of Education Health and Life Safety | 16 |
| Advisory Board committee and was a former Illinois Building | 17 |
| Commission member; he was preceded in death by his wife and a | 18 |
| son, Joseph; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Berardo J. "Dee" DeSimone Sr. is | 20 |
| deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his | 21 |
| surviving sons, Berardo Jr. and Neil; his sister, Anne; and his | 22 |
| 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; therefore, be | 23 |
| it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 25 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of | 26 |
| Berardo J. DeSimone Sr., and we extend our sincerest | 27 |
| condolences to his family, friends, and community; and be it | 28 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 30 |
| presented to the family of Berardo J. DeSimone Sr. as an | 31 |
| expression of our deepest sympathy.
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