Full Text of SR0974 103rd General Assembly
SR0974 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0974 | | LRB103 40489 ECR 72899 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Michael "Mike" Perricone, of | 4 | | Riverside who passed away on December 9, 2023 at the age of 72; | 5 | | and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone was born in Brooklyn, New York on | 7 | | December 26, 1950; he attended Brooklyn Technical High School | 8 | | and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he developed his | 9 | | interest in science, engineering, and writing; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone spent his early career in | 11 | | journalism in Troy and Albany, New York; he later moved to | 12 | | Chicago, where he began covering the Chicago Blackhawks for | 13 | | the Chicago Sun-Times in 1977; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone covered more than 1,200 National | 15 | | Hockey League (NHL) games over 12 years; while traveling the | 16 | | country with the Blackhawks, he developed close connections | 17 | | with players and coaches, who appreciated his passion for the | 18 | | team; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone was well-respected and appreciated | 20 | | by his peers in journalism; he encouraged and supported new | 21 | | reporters at the Chicago Sun-Times and developed friendships |
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| 1 | | with fellow reporters from rival papers; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone met his wife, Joan Vanderbeck, | 3 | | when responding to a personal ad in Chicago Magazine with a | 4 | | list of his favorite books in 1986; they connected instantly | 5 | | upon their first meeting for a date at the Music Box Theatre, | 6 | | marrying just 14 months later; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone left his position covering | 8 | | professional hockey to take care of his daughter, Jenny, in | 9 | | 1989; he turned his experiences as a stay-at-home father into | 10 | | his column "Jenny's Dad" for the Chicago Sun-Times; he later | 11 | | compiled these columns into his book titled "From Deadlines to | 12 | | Diapers: Journal of an At-Home Father", for which he made an | 13 | | appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone returned to his career in writing, | 15 | | and interest in science, as a member of the communications | 16 | | staff at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia; he | 17 | | worked at Fermilab for nearly 10 years as a senior writer and | 18 | | science editor; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone helped launch Symmetry Magazine in | 20 | | 2004, serving as executive editor and sharing his favorite | 21 | | books on particle physics and astrophysics; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone loved sharing his knowledge of | 2 | | science and physics with others; he authored "The Big Bang" to | 3 | | connect an audience of young adults to the origins of the | 4 | | universe; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone continued writing after his | 6 | | retirement, working on a book for young adults, titled | 7 | | "Caged", about a star high school hockey player struggling | 8 | | with depression; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Mike Perricone is survived by his wife, Joan | 10 | | Vanderbeck, and his daughter, Jenny Perricone; therefore, be | 11 | | it | 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 14 | | Michael "Mike" Perricone and extend our sincere condolences to | 15 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 16 | | further | 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of Mike Perricone as an expression of | 19 | | our deepest sympathy. |
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