Full Text of SR0187 96th General Assembly
SR0187 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of Val Gitlin of Woodstock, who passed away | 4 |
| on February 12, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, She was born March 27, 1932, in Garner, Iowa; on | 6 |
| April 3, 1954, in Chicago, she married H. Joseph Gitlin; she | 7 |
| graduated from Lutheran General Hospital School of Nursing; she | 8 |
| was a registered nurse at the United States Army Hospital in | 9 |
| Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and she was a supervising nurse at the | 10 |
| outpatient clinic of Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago; | 11 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, She was virtually a full-time volunteer, | 13 |
| primarily for the Woodstock Opera House, through the Woodstock | 14 |
| Fine Arts Association; her proudest activity was her | 15 |
| chairmanship over several decades of the Creative Living Series | 16 |
| at the Woodstock Opera House; the series for many years played | 17 |
| to a full house; lecturers included Gwendolyn Brooks, Mortimer | 18 |
| Adler, Studs Terkel, and Martha Stewart; many of the lecturers | 19 |
| stayed at Val and Joe's home the night preceding the lecture; | 20 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, She was known as an outstanding cook and | 22 |
| entertainer; she had her recipes published in Bon Appetit |
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| magazine and served dinner in her home to the famed gourmet | 2 |
| chef Jeff Smith, "The Frugal Gourmet;"
she served as president | 3 |
| of the board of the Woodstock Fine Arts Association for three | 4 |
| terms;
she produced the first grand opera at the Woodstock | 5 |
| Opera House, "Pagliacci;" she also co-chaired a gala fundraiser | 6 |
| for the building of the Opera House Annex (Stage Left Cafe); | 7 |
| this event raised $265,000, a record for a single event | 8 |
| fundraiser in McHenry County; and
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| WHEREAS, She was an elected public official, serving on the | 10 |
| McHenry County Regional Board of School Trustees for 28 years, | 11 |
| where she served as chairwoman before resigning; she was named | 12 |
| Woodstock Woman of the Year by the Woodstock Professional and | 13 |
| Business Women in 1990; in 2005 she received the Buschkopf | 14 |
| Award, which is given to people who contribute to the quality | 15 |
| of life in Woodstock and provide inspiration to people within | 16 |
| the community; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, She was a most capable interior decorator and | 18 |
| landscaper; the Gitlin home was open for house walks to benefit | 19 |
| McHenry County Memorial Hospital (now Centegra Hospital in | 20 |
| Woodstock) three times, and her garden was open for a garden | 21 |
| walk by the Woodstock Professional & Business Women in 2001; | 22 |
| pictures of her garden appeared in Chicago Home & Garden, and | 23 |
| the garden was photographed by Jessie Mahler for a book on | 24 |
| gardens; and |
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| WHEREAS, She was an avid reader; she was a member of the | 2 |
| McHenry County's oldest book club for almost 45 years; her | 3 |
| artistic activities were rug hooking and rosemaling, a | 4 |
| Norwegian folk art form of oil painting of rose-inspired forms | 5 |
| on wood, very often on chests;
and
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| WHEREAS, Her daughter, Laura Gitlin-Petlak, preceded her | 7 |
| in death; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, She is survived by her husband; her son, Gunnar | 9 |
| and his wife, Joanne; her son-in-law, Steve Petlak; and her | 10 |
| grandchildren, Hannah Gitlin and Alisa Gitlin-Petlak and | 11 |
| Miriam Gitlin-Petlak; her sisters, Eunice Zeigler and Norine | 12 |
| Chalmers; and numerous nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 14 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 15 |
| her family and friends, the passing of Val Gitlin; and be it | 16 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 |
| presented to the family of Val Gitlin as a symbol of our | 19 |
| sincere sympathy.
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