Full Text of SR0595 96th General Assembly
SR0595 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 Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bill Gleason, | 4 |
| who passed away on January 3, 2010; and
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| WHEREAS, Bill Gleason was born and raised in Chicago's | 6 |
| South Side by his parents, Joseph Gleason and Helen O'Brien | 7 |
| Gleason; he attended Parker High School, now Paul Robeson High | 8 |
| School; he served in the United States Army in France during | 9 |
| World War II, receiving a Silver Star on his 22nd birthday in | 10 |
| 1944; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1975, Mr. Gleason helped create a Sunday | 12 |
| afternoon radio sports talk show called "The Sports Writers"; | 13 |
| in 1985, the show expanded to become the nationally syndicated | 14 |
| television program "The Sports Writers on TV" and ran until | 15 |
| 1997; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, His sportswriting career started when he was in | 17 |
| grammar school; his sister recalled that "he would listen to a | 18 |
| radio broadcast of a college game from beginning to end, then | 19 |
| go into his room, pick up a composition book and write his | 20 |
| personal report of the entire game,"; at the age of 19, Mr. | 21 |
| Gleason became sports editor of the then-Southtown Economist;
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| Mr. Gleason's long journalism career also included stints at |
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| the now-defunct Chicago American, South Bend Tribune in | 2 |
| Indiana, and the Daily Southtown; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Gleason wrote three books: Footsteps of a | 4 |
| Giant , The Liquid Cross of Skid Row , and Daley of Chicago ;
Mr. | 5 |
| Gleason officially retired in 2001 but continued to speak at | 6 |
| various engagements; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Gleason's most significant charitable | 8 |
| involvement included working with Misericordia Heart of Mercy, | 9 |
| Maryville Academy, and Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities; he | 10 |
| was one of the founders of the Red Cloud Athletic Fund; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Gleason is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen | 12 |
| Gleason; his two sisters, Bette Conroy and Helen Dunne; his two | 13 |
| brothers, Joe and Bernie Gleason; his five children, Terence, | 14 |
| Kevin, Martin, Amy, and Jeanine Ranzen; and his nine | 15 |
| grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 17 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 18 |
| his family, friends, and loyal listeners and readers, the | 19 |
| passing of Bill Gleason; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 |
| presented to the family of Bill Gleason as a symbol of our |
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| sincere sympathy.
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