Full Text of HR1358 97th General Assembly
HR1358 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of former | 4 | | State Representative Harold A. Katz, who passed away on | 5 | | December 6, 2012; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Katz was born on November 2, 1921, in | 7 | | Shelbyville, Tennessee; his parents were Maurice W. and | 8 | | Gertrude Evelyn Cohen Katz; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Katz attended Vanderbilt University, where he | 10 | | wrote for the school newspaper, was an early supporter of | 11 | | integration and civil rights, was a collegiate chess champion, | 12 | | and earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics in 1943; | 13 | | during World War II, he worked for the War Labor Board and the | 14 | | National Labor Relations Board; he subsequently attended the | 15 | | University of Chicago, where he received his juris doctor in | 16 | | 1948 and his master of arts degree in labor economics in 1958; | 17 | | and | 18 | | WHEREAS, As a renowned labor attorney, Mr. Katz fought for | 19 | | and represented the rights of working men and women for more | 20 | | than 50 years; along with Irving Friedman, whom Harold met when | 21 | | they were on opposing sides of a labor relations case, he | 22 | | founded the law firm of Katz and Friedman in the 1950s; the |
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| 1 | | firm has grown over the years, representing labor unions, their | 2 | | members, and the injured, and is now known as Katz, Friedman, | 3 | | Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson, and Bareck; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Katz filled his career with many honors and | 5 | | achievements, including authoring 2 major law books and a | 6 | | number of articles published in professional journals; he | 7 | | served in all 3 branches of government, as a member of the | 8 | | Illinois House of Representatives, as a legal counsel on | 9 | | legislation to Governor Otto Kerner, and as master-in-chancery | 10 | | at the trial court level in Cook County; he received the | 11 | | Laureate Award from the Illinois State Bar Association in 2001; | 12 | | and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Katz served for 18 years in the Illinois House | 14 | | of Representatives, beginning as an at-large member during the | 15 | | 74th General Assembly in 1965; he later represented Chicago's | 16 | | northern suburbs in the 1st District from 1967 until his | 17 | | retirement from the House in 1983; during his tenure as a | 18 | | legislator, he was known for his hard work, independence, and | 19 | | integrity, and he fought to pass budget reforms and new laws | 20 | | requiring accessibility for disabled persons; as an active | 21 | | member of the Judiciary Committee, he was a leader in updating | 22 | | the State's criminal laws; he also helped to create and chair | 23 | | the Commission on the Organization of the General Assembly, | 24 | | which streamlined and modernized the legislature; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Katz was preceded in death by his loving wife | 2 | | of 65 years, Ethel Mae; he is survived by their children, Alan | 3 | | (Pauline Bassett), B.J. (Derek Nadeau), Julia, and Joel (Laura | 4 | | Thorp), and their grandchildren, Ethan, Elena (Wesley) Legg, | 5 | | Daniel, Julianna, and Jeremy; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 8 | | we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of | 9 | | Harold A. Katz; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to the family of Harold A. Katz as a symbol of our | 12 | | deepest sympathies and great esteem.
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