HR0871 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0871 LRB099 15436 GRL 39718 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Chicago-born Frank Avila met Peoria-born Sherry Hooste at Esther Hall, a Methodist girls club, in Chicago in 1961; and

WHEREAS, Frank Avila received his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering in January of 1961; Sherry Avila received her Bachelor's Degree in Education in January of 1966 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and

WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila were married on November 27, 1965 at the Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, From 1966 to 1968, Frank and Sherry Avila lived in Tucson, Arizona, where Frank completed his Master's Degree in Finance at the University of Arizona in 1968; for 48 of the 50 years of their marriage, Frank and Sherry have lived in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila have been very blessed with 3 wonderful children, Frank (Rachel), Quinn (Jackie), and Audrey, and 2 wonderful grandchildren, Clarence and Thalia; and

WHEREAS, Frank Avila was the owner and operator of Avila & Associates, Inc., a consulting engineering company, for about 27 years; and

WHEREAS, Together, Frank and Sherry Avila collected 17,000 signatures to get Frank on the ballot as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago for the third time; he finally won the third election in 2002, followed by victories in his fourth election in 2008 and his fifth election in 2014; and

WHEREAS, Frank Avila serves as Chairman of Finance on the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and he has received numerous awards for his work; and

WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila produced numerous CAN-TV shows, including "Commissioner Frank Avila Speaks...", many TV shows about the environment, and Sherry's "Avila Fine Arts" and "Avila Making A Difference"; many of these shows are featured on YouTube and other websites; and

WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila have travelled together to many places all over the world, including China, Russia, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Turkey, the Canary Islands, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and about 35 of the 50 U.S. states, including Hawaii and Alaska; and

WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands; and

WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila shared the trials and triumphs of five decades together with commitment, perseverance, and unyielding strength; they attribute the success of their marriage to sharing an intense love of family, religion, laughter, education, health, the world, travel, and the fine arts; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Frank and Sherry Avila on the occasion of their 50th anniversary on November 27, 2015 and wish them great health and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Frank and Sherry Avila as a symbol of our esteem and respect.