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91_SR0303
LRB9113410CBkbA
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, It is with profound sorrow that the members of
3 this august body have learned of the death of Greg Baker of
4 Chicago, Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, Greg Baker, a native of Iowa, grew up in
6 Homewood, Illinois, where he was an All-State swimmer at
7 Homewood Flossmoor High School and later an All-American
8 swimmer at Denison University; and
9 WHEREAS, Greg received a master's degree in English from
10 DePaul University; and
11 WHEREAS, Greg left a lasting impact on countless students
12 during twenty-nine years of teaching and serving as a
13 swimming coach at the Latin School of Chicago; and
14 WHEREAS, Greg won numerous teaching awards, was a
15 published author, and coached eleven conference champion
16 swimming teams; and
17 WHEREAS, Greg was one of the most popular and beloved
18 instructors at the Latin School, and almost every student who
19 passed through the school during Greg's twenty-nine years
20 took one of his English classes, and the bravest of those
21 students were enriched by taking his classes on James Joyce's
22 book, "Ulysses"; and
23 WHEREAS, Greg brought out the best in his students,
24 challenging them to achieve their utmost potential; and
25 WHEREAS, Greg also demanded the best effort from himself,
26 and his demand for excellence grew stronger after he
27 sustained a spinal cord injury in a 1968 automobile accident;
28 and
29 WHEREAS, Greg enjoyed spending his leisure time with his
30 wife, Gail Connelly; they collected wine, cultivated a
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1 beautiful garden, and relaxed listening to reggae music; and
2 WHEREAS, Greg is survived by his wife, Gail Connelly; his
3 mother, Ardell Arthur; his sister, Gayle Spruance; and his
4 brother-in-law, David Spruance; and
5 WHEREAS, Greg will long be remembered as a man of
6 intelligence, wit, compassion, and courage who touched the
7 lives of everyone he encountered; therefore, be it
8 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL
9 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing
10 of Greg Baker, who truly lived an extraordinary life; and be
11 it further
12 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to his wife, mother, and sister as an expression of
14 our sorrow at his untimely and sudden passing.