Full Text of SR0233 098th General Assembly
SR0233 98TH 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 Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago | 4 | | Sun-Times for the past 46 years, who passed away on April 4, | 5 | | 2013; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert joined the Sun-Times in 1966 and | 7 | | became the paper's movie reviewer the following year in 1967; | 8 | | his reviews were eventually syndicated to several hundred other | 9 | | newspapers nationwide; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert received a Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for | 11 | | distinguished criticism-the first, and one of only 3, given to | 12 | | a film reviewer since the category was created in 1970; in | 13 | | 2005, he became the first critic to have a star on the | 14 | | Hollywood Walk of Fame; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert's television career began in 1975, | 16 | | first in the Chicago area and then nationwide on PBS, when he | 17 | | and Gene Siskel co-hosted the show "Opening Soon at a Theater | 18 | | Near You"; the show was renamed "Sneak Previews", "At the | 19 | | Movies", and eventually "Siskel & Ebert & The Movies", at which | 20 | | point the signature "thumbs up, thumbs down" rating system | 21 | | began; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert authored over 20 books covering the | 2 | | film industry and branched out into screenplays; in 1969 he was | 3 | | the co-writer of the movie "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", a | 4 | | film that has since achieved cult status; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert founded the annual Ebertfest Film | 6 | | Festival in 1999, which holds its 15th incarnation April 17-21, | 7 | | 2013, at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert was a renowned author, journalist, | 9 | | film historian, film critic, and screenwriter; he received | 10 | | honorary degrees from the American Film Institute, the | 11 | | University of Colorado, and the School of the Art Institute; he | 12 | | is a member of the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and was | 13 | | honored with a sidewalk medallion under the Chicago Theatre | 14 | | marquee; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert was born in Urbana on June 18, 1942, | 16 | | to Annabel and Walter H. Ebert; he attended Urbana High School | 17 | | and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graduating in | 18 | | 1964; he spent a year at the University of Cape Town in South | 19 | | Africa before attending the University of Chicago; he married | 20 | | Charlie "Chaz" Hammelsmith in 1992; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Roger Ebert is survived by his wife; his | 22 | | stepchildren, Sonia and Jay; and his grandchildren, Raven, |
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| 1 | | Emil, Mark, and Joseph; therefore, be it | 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 3 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 4 | | Roger Ebert, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, | 5 | | friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to the family of Roger Ebert as an expression of our | 8 | | deepest sympathy.
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