Full Text of HR0648 102nd General Assembly
HR0648 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Gary G. | 4 | | Matts, who passed away on October 11, 2021; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Gary Matts was born on September 16, 1951; he | 6 | | began playing the drums and attending drum lessons by the age | 7 | | of six; he attended Lane Tech High School in Chicago, where he | 8 | | participated in the school orchestra and concert band; he | 9 | | attended the University of Illinois Chicago, where he studied | 10 | | Chemistry in his first year before realizing his preference | 11 | | towards studying music; he then switched to the Chicago | 12 | | Musical College of Roosevelt University, where he followed his | 13 | | true passion of playing percussion and graduated in 1974; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Gary Matts experienced a wonderful decades-long | 15 | | journey through a career in music, which led him to many | 16 | | genres, theaters, venues, and cities; he was known by his | 17 | | musician friends for his sense of humor and his parts in TV | 18 | | commercials and Broadway musicals; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Gary Matts shifted his focus from performing to | 20 | | labor leadership when he was elected president of the Chicago | 21 | | Federation of Musicians in 2004, of which he had been a member | 22 | | since 1969; prior to his presidency, he served on the Board of |
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| 1 | | Directors and as assistant to the previous president; his work | 2 | | as president encompassed negotiating several multimillion | 3 | | dollar contracts for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric | 4 | | Opera, and various other musical organizations; he was also a | 5 | | board member of the American Federation of Musicians and | 6 | | Employers' Pension Fund; he retired from union leadership in | 7 | | 2016; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Gary Matts' greatest love was his family; he and | 9 | | his wife, Kathy, had three children, Janine, Kevin, and Karen, | 10 | | who all followed musical pursuits well into their teenage | 11 | | years; he was always proud to share the accomplishments of his | 12 | | children on their different paths; he loved spending time with | 13 | | his cherished grandsons, who adored their grandfather; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Gary Matts was the husband of Kathy (Scheckel) | 15 | | for almost 45 years; he was the father of Janine (Alex) Silva, | 16 | | Kevin (Brigid) Matts, and Karen Matts; he was the grandfather | 17 | | of Joaquin, Stephen, and Vincent; therefore, be it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 19 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 20 | | we mourn the passing of Gary G. Matts and extend our sincere | 21 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 22 | | him; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Gary Matts and to the Chicago | 3 | | Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Musicians | 4 | | Local 10-208 President Terryl Jares, as an expression of our | 5 | | deepest sympathy.
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