Full Text of SR0817 094th General Assembly
SR0817 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Patrick William O'Brien was a gregarious | 3 |
| Irish-American who made people laugh by telling stories and | 4 |
| finding the humor in everyday life; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. O'Brien, a lifelong Evanston resident, passed | 6 |
| away on August 11, 2006; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. O'Brien grew up the middle of three brothers; | 8 |
| he attended St. Athanasius School and Evanston Township High | 9 |
| School; in 1947, he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical | 10 |
| engineering from Northwestern University; and
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| WHEREAS, While Mr. O'Brien contemplated a career in | 12 |
| academia, a college professor encouraged him to consider law; | 13 |
| by 1950, he had a law degree from Northwestern University; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1954, he was at a party when he noticed a | 15 |
| stunning blond named Deborah Bissell; Mr. O'Brien was working | 16 |
| up the courage to speak to her when he lit his pipe and the | 17 |
| match flew, lighting Bissell's sundress on fire; he apologized | 18 |
| and offered to take her to dinner; they married in 1955 and had | 19 |
| seven children; and
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| WHEREAS, After briefly working at a private law firm, Mr. | 21 |
| O'Brien joined the Air Force during the Korean War, worked in | 22 |
| the judge advocate general's department, and became a captain; | 23 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, In 1953, he joined Mayer, Meyer, Austrian & Platt; | 25 |
| as a trial lawyer for more than 50 years with the Chicago law | 26 |
| firm, Mr. O'Brien delivered serious performances in the | 27 |
| courtroom that demonstrated his vast knowledge of and passion | 28 |
| for the law; Pat became a mentor to younger attorneys and was | 29 |
| generous in sharing his experiences; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. O'Brien shared his struggles with alcoholism; | 2 |
| he authored an article about his experiences for the Chicago | 3 |
| Bar Association and served as president of the State Lawyers' | 4 |
| Assistance Program, which helps lawyers deal with substance | 5 |
| abuse issues; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Pat O'Brien will be deeply felt by | 7 |
| all who knew and loved him; he was the beloved husband of | 8 |
| Deborah O'Brien, nee Bissell; the loving father of Kathy (Tom) | 9 |
| Caplice, Mariellen (Mike) Hendricks, Patrick O'Brien, Jim | 10 |
| (Karen) O'Brien, Patti (T.J.) Sheahan, the late Eileen and | 11 |
| Michael O'Brien; the proud grandfather of Michael, Brian, | 12 |
| Eddie, Molly, Nell, Patrick, Carlin, Mac, Shaun, Eileen, Erin | 13 |
| and Margaret; the dear brother of the late Jim (Fran) O'Brien | 14 |
| and Paul (Ann) O'Brien; and the uncle of many; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 16 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 17 |
| Patrick William O'Brien, and we extend our sincere condolences | 18 |
| to his family, his friends, and all who knew and loved him; and | 19 |
| be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 |
| presented to his family as an expression of our deepest | 22 |
| sympathy.
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