Full Text of SR0980 103rd General Assembly
SR0980 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0980 | | LRB103 40592 ECR 73208 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Thomas A. "Tom" Hernandez of | 4 | | Plainfield, who passed away on April 15, 2024; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was born to Danna and Anthony Paul | 6 | | Hernandez on January 16, 1966; he attended F.E. Marsh | 7 | | Elementary School, Gompers Junior High School, and Joliet East | 8 | | High School, and he graduated from Joliet Central High School | 9 | | in 1984; he received a Bachelor of Science from Lewis | 10 | | University in 1988; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, For over 35 years, Tom Hernandez worked as a | 12 | | communications and marketing professional in a variety of | 13 | | areas, including traditional journalism, public relations, | 14 | | private-sector marketing, and public speaking; he was a | 15 | | regular correspondent for The Herald-News in Joliet from 1986 | 16 | | to 1988, a reporter for The Beacon-News from 1988 to 1992, a | 17 | | reporter and editor for the Pioneer Press from 1992 to 1996, | 18 | | and a weekly columnist for the Plainfield Sun from 1998 to | 19 | | 2009; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez then served as a communications | 21 | | specialist for the Illinois State Board of Education from 1996 | 22 | | to 2001 and as director of community relations at St. Charles |
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| 1 | | Community Unit School District 303 from 2001 to 2006; he spent | 2 | | most of his career as director of community relations at | 3 | | Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, where | 4 | | he worked from 2006 to 2023; during his tenure, he managed and | 5 | | produced all internal and external communications for the | 6 | | fifth largest school district in Illinois, including all | 7 | | regular and crisis communications and special projects, and | 8 | | served as the district's media and community liaison; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was a highly sought-after emcee for | 10 | | many events, including a poetry anthology unveiling at the | 11 | | Plainfield Public Library District and District 202's CAPE | 12 | | Awards; he also served as a keynote speaker for the inaugural | 13 | | Nolan and Gloria McCants Scholarship program; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was a member of the former Great | 15 | | Read community literacy program and a founding member of the | 16 | | Plainfield School District 202 Foundation for Excellence; he | 17 | | was a past member of United Way of Will County, where he | 18 | | formerly served as secretary, treasurer, and board chair, and | 19 | | he also served in the Education Division and on the Program & | 20 | | Allocations Committee; he was also instrumental in creating | 21 | | United Way's 2-1-1 Will County, a free, multilingual, and | 22 | | confidential 24-hour information and referral service on | 23 | | health and human services in Will County; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was a member of the Illinois | 2 | | chapter of the National School Public Relations Association | 3 | | (NSPRA), and he was named a Distinguished Communicator in 2018 | 4 | | and received an Award of Excellence in 2020 for D202 Talks: A | 5 | | Conversation with D202'S First Director of Digital Learning | 6 | | and Innovation; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was the co-leader of WriteOn | 8 | | Joliet, a welcoming, diverse group of writers of varied | 9 | | skills, interests, and experience, and he contributed to all | 10 | | eight anthologies the group produced; he also authored several | 11 | | books, including Chocolate Cows and Purple Cheese, and Other | 12 | | Tales from the Homefront in 2009, Abundance in 2012, The Edge | 13 | | of Middle - Thoughts from the Top of the Hill in 2017, The | 14 | | Acorn Wars in 2019, The Weekly Fruit and Vegetable Report in | 15 | | 2020, and Brothers: and Other Stories in 2021; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez valued his faith and family above | 17 | | all else; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was preceded in death by his | 19 | | father; his uncle, Ray Hernandez; his grandparents, Charmaine | 20 | | Hurt, Epifanio Hernandez, and Felisa Hernandez; and his aunts, | 21 | | Eudella Asa, Elvira Ibarra, and Catherine Hernandez; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez is survived by his wife of 34 |
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| 1 | | years, Kellie (Madison) Hernandez; his daughters, Emma (Jake) | 2 | | Williams and Olivia (Tyler) Mueller; his granddaughter, Riley | 3 | | Williams; his mother, Danna (Robert Jensby) Hernandez; his | 4 | | brothers, Tim Hernandez and Paul (Kari) Hernandez; his | 5 | | parents-in-law, Jim Madison and Lynn Madison; his | 6 | | sister-in-law, Amy (Earl Amos) Madison; his aunt-in-law, Jeri | 7 | | Madison; his nieces and nephews, Alexandra, Francesca, | 8 | | Anthony, Mickinzie, Alexander, Alyse, Garrit, Emmitt, and | 9 | | Wyitt; and his nephew and godson, Ayden; therefore, be it | 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 12 | | Thomas A. "Tom" Hernandez and extend our sincere condolences | 13 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 14 | | it further | 15 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 | | presented to the family of Tom Hernandez as an expression of | 17 | | our deepest sympathy. |
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