Full Text of SR1199 101st General Assembly
SR1199 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR1199 | | LRB101 21558 LAW 72464 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Elizabeth "Betty" Balanoff Ph.D., who | 4 | | passed away on May 28, 2019 at the age of 92; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff was born in Salisbury, Missouri to | 6 | | Adelaide and Harold Brummall on July 8, 1926; she studied | 7 | | biology at the University of Missouri before moving to Chicago | 8 | | to further pursue her studies; she married James Balanoff Jr. | 9 | | in 1947; she earned her master's in history from Roosevelt | 10 | | University in Chicago in 1964; she earned her Ph.D. in history | 11 | | from the University of Chicago in 1974; she lived in Gary and | 12 | | Hammond, Indiana for most of her adult life; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff began a long career at Roosevelt | 14 | | University in 1966, starting as an adjunct instructor before | 15 | | moving to a full-time position as an assistant professor; she | 16 | | participated in a faculty exchange, lecturing at trade union | 17 | | colleges in Moscow and Leningrad, Russia in 1976; she was | 18 | | promoted to full professor in 1981; for 25 years, she taught | 19 | | American history to generations of students; she was a pioneer | 20 | | in the teaching of African American history, Native American | 21 | | history, women's history, immigration history, and labor | 22 | | history; she also taught the first courses at Roosevelt | 23 | | University in the history of childhood and the family; her |
| | | SR1199 | - 2 - | LRB101 21558 LAW 72464 r |
|
| 1 | | class in labor history was the first open to undergraduates at | 2 | | a Chicago university; she retired in 1991 and was named | 3 | | professor emeritus in 1993; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff's lasting legacy to Roosevelt | 5 | | University centered around the Labor Oral History Project, | 6 | | which she directed from 1970 to 1985; she conducted and | 7 | | transcribed interviews with over 70 labor union leaders and | 8 | | rank-and-file members in the Chicago area; her project has | 9 | | become a valuable resource that is among the most requested | 10 | | items in the Roosevelt University archives; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff was a social and environmental | 12 | | activist throughout her life; she successfully assisted | 13 | | Richard Hatcher's mayoral campaign in Gary, Indiana in 1968, | 14 | | making him the first elected black mayor of a major U.S. city; | 15 | | she co-founded the Coalition for a Clean Environment in | 16 | | Northwest Indiana; she was a leader of the Northwest Indiana | 17 | | Residents for Clean Air; she also served on the Hammond Public | 18 | | Library Board for seven years; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff received a number of accolades; she | 20 | | had a teaching award named in her honor by Roosevelt University | 21 | | in 1991, which recognizes a distinguished professor each year; | 22 | | her efforts towards the Labor Oral History Project were | 23 | | recognized by the Working Women's History Project in 1997 and |
| | | SR1199 | - 3 - | LRB101 21558 LAW 72464 r |
|
| 1 | | by the Illinois Labor History Society; she was honored for her | 2 | | advocacy by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the | 3 | | Environmental Protection Agency in 2007; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff was known as a kind, generous, and | 5 | | accomplished teacher; she will be remembered as someone who | 6 | | never lost her heart or patience and remained steadfast in her | 7 | | convictions; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff's expertise and passion for the | 9 | | organized labor movement was shared by her family; her husband | 10 | | James was the president of the largest United Steelworkers | 11 | | local in the country, which was Local 1010 based in East | 12 | | Chicago, Indiana; their son Tom is the president of Service | 13 | | Employees International Union Illinois Council and the vice | 14 | | president of its International Executive Board, as well as the | 15 | | president of SEIU Local 1, which represents 50,000 property | 16 | | service workers in Chicago and 10 other cities across the | 17 | | Midwest; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Betty Balanoff was preceded in death by her | 19 | | husband of 53 years, James Balanoff Jr.; her parents; and her | 20 | | sister, Helen Donner; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, At the time of her death, Betty Balanoff was | 22 | | survived by her four children, James (Rebecca) Balanoff III, |
| | | SR1199 | - 4 - | LRB101 21558 LAW 72464 r |
|
| 1 | | Thomas (Hetty) Balanoff, Joseph (Betty) Balanoff, and | 2 | | Katherine (James) Robinson; her seven grandchildren; her nine | 3 | | great-grandchildren; and her numerous nieces and nephews; | 4 | | therefore, be it
| 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 6 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 7 | | Elizabeth "Betty" Balanoff Ph.D. and extend our sincere | 8 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 9 | | her; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to the family of Betty Balanoff as an expression of | 12 | | our deepest sympathy.
|
|