Full Text of SR0188 101st General Assembly
SR0188 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Harrison I. Steans, who passed away on | 4 | | February 26, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans was born in Chicago on July 3, | 6 | | 1935; he spent his childhood in Lake Bluff and Springfield; his | 7 | | early
years were marked by the energy, intellect, and | 8 | | achievement that would
characterize his entire life; in high | 9 | | school, he was a champion in the Illinois State Latin | 10 | | Tournament, and he
partnered with his father in bridge | 11 | | tournaments around the region, often winning, despite
being the | 12 | | youngest to compete; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans attended Princeton University on | 14 | | a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship; he | 15 | | graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1957 with a | 16 | | Bachelor of Arts
in Economics; he married Lois M.
Morrison and | 17 | | joined the Navy within weeks of graduating; he was stationed in | 18 | | Pearl
Harbor and resigned his commission as a Lieutenant; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans went to work as an assistant to | 20 | | the legendary Tom Watson at IBM; after several invigorating | 21 | | years, he left IBM in 1967 to form Illinois' first single-bank
| 22 | | holding company to purchase the Hyde Park Bank & Trust; during |
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| 1 | | his tenure as chairman, the organization grew from a single $40 | 2 | | million
bank to a six-bank holding company with assets | 3 | | exceeding $1.8 billion; in 1987, the bank holding company was | 4 | | sold to NBD Corporation, now part of
the J.P. Morgan Chase | 5 | | organization; from 1973 through 1978, he served as Chairman of | 6 | | the LaSalle National Bank, where he handled the bank's sale to | 7 | | ABN; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, In 1994, Harrison Steans and his daughter, | 9 | | Jennifer, formed the Steans family investment firm, Financial | 10 | | Investments Corporation (FIC), to make private equity | 11 | | investments; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans believed strongly in giving back; | 13 | | he served on many non-profit
boards, including the Civic | 14 | | Committee of the Commercial Club, the Chicago Humanities
| 15 | | Festival, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and The Ounce of | 16 | | Prevention Fund; he also served as a Life Trustee of DePaul | 17 | | University, Highland Park
Hospital, and the Ravinia Festival; | 18 | | having enjoyed being a part of the Ravinia family for
many | 19 | | decades, he took particular pride in being named the only male | 20 | | member of
the Ravinia Women's Board; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, In 1988, Harrison Steans started the Steans Family | 22 | | Foundation with his wife, Lois,
and his three daughters, | 23 | | Jennifer, Heather, and Robin; for nearly 30 years, the |
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| 1 | | foundation has worked hand in hand with the North Lawndale | 2 | | community to promote stronger education, employment, health, | 3 | | and
safety for its residents; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans was awarded an honorary doctorate | 5 | | by DePaul University, the Order of Lincoln, and many other | 6 | | business and civic awards as well; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans will be remembered by all who knew | 8 | | him for his entrepreneurial spirit,
business acumen, booming | 9 | | laugh, unfailing sense of humor, keen intellect, and his
caring | 10 | | interest in all around him; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, The family of Harrison Steans will remember his | 12 | | love of tennis, games of all sorts, clever word
play, as well | 13 | | as his outsized personality and boundless love and enthusiasm; | 14 | | and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans is survived by his sister, Adeline | 16 | | Morrison; his wife of 61 years,
Lois; his daughters, Jennifer | 17 | | (Jim Kastenholz), Illinois State Senator Heather (Leo Smith), | 18 | | and Robin
(Leonard Gail); his grandchildren, Ryan, Sam, Abby, | 19 | | Jessica, Leah, Sydney, and
Nick; and many beloved nieces and | 20 | | grand-nephews and grand-nieces; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Harrison Steans will be remembered by all who knew |
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| 1 | | him not just for his many and
significant accomplishments, but | 2 | | for his personal integrity, sense of social justice, and
his | 3 | | warmth and playful sense of humor; therefore, be it
| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 5 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 6 | | Harrison I. Steans and extend our sincere condolences to his | 7 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 8 | | further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 10 | | presented to the family of Harrison Steans as an expression of | 11 | | our deepest sympathy.
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