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92_HR0538
LRB9211006RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to
4 the family and friends of former Illinois State Legislator
5 Fred J. Tuerk, who passed away on August 16, 2001; and
6 WHEREAS, Representative Tuerk was elected to the Illinois
7 House of Representatives in 1968 and served 20 years before
8 retiring; he was a member of the House Republican leadership
9 and helped pass legislation that created tax increment
10 financing, used extensively for city redevelopment projects;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, Fred J. Tuerk was born on July 19, 1922 in
13 Peoria, Illinois to Fred W. and Anna L. Meagher Tuerk; he
14 married Mary M. Kieffer on March 17, 1945 in Des Moines,
15 Iowa; and
16 WHEREAS, Representative Tuerk served in the Mediterranean
17 during World War II in the United States Navy, where he
18 attained the rank of lieutenant junior grade; and
19 WHEREAS, Representative Tuerk earned a bachelor of
20 journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 1946;
21 after graduation, he worked as a sports writer for the former
22 Peoria Star; he later worked as an industrial news writer for
23 Caterpillar Inc., editor of Caterpillar World magazine and
24 Caterpillar Folks newspaper, and as a legislative and press
25 relations spokesman for Caterpillar; and
26 WHEREAS, While editing Caterpillar publications,
27 Representative Tuerk received numerous awards and
28 commendations from the International Council of Industrial
29 Editors and won three Freedom Foundation awards; and
30 WHEREAS, As a state legislator, Representative Tuerk was
31 instrumental in landing State money for the construction of
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1 the Peoria Civic Center and Comisky Park, home to the Chicago
2 White Sox; in addition, he backed legislation that led to the
3 construction of the second span of the McClugage Bridge and
4 the extension of the Interstate 474 bypass to Illinois Route
5 29; and
6 WHEREAS, During his tenure in the Illinois House,
7 Representative Tuerk received numerous citations for his
8 legislative accomplishments, including the Peoria Jaycees
9 Good Government Award in 1979, and is listed in the "Who's
10 Who in American Politics"; he was named honorary chairman of
11 the Peoria Republican Central Committee and served as a
12 member of the Peoria County Republican organization and the
13 Second Ward Republican Club; and
14 WHEREAS, Representative Tuerk served on the legislative
15 committees of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and the
16 Illinois Manufacturers' Association; he served as director,
17 vice chairman, and chairman of Peoria Savings and Loan
18 Association and as director of River Valley Savings Bank; and
19 WHEREAS, Representative Tuerk served as a Peoria Park
20 Board trustee from 1963 to 1971; in addition, he was a member
21 and past president of the Illinois Valley Press Club and was
22 a member of the Peoria Association of Commerce, the Guardian
23 Angel Home advisory board, the Knights of Columbus 427 Third
24 Degree Spalding Council, the Peoria Public Relations
25 Association, and the Creve Coeur Club; he was also a member,
26 lector, and extraordinary minister at St. Vincent de Paul
27 Catholic Church; and
28 WHEREAS, Representative Tuerk was actively involved in
29 fundraising efforts for the United Way, St. Francis Medical
30 Center, Bergan and Spalding high schools, the Boy Scouts, St.
31 Jude, and the American Cancer Society; and
32 WHEREAS, The passing of Representative Fred Tuerk will be
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1 deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his
2 wife, Mary; his sons, William (wife, Vivian) Tuerk and John
3 (wife, Donna) Tuerk; his daughters, Therese Tuerk, Ellen
4 Tuerk, Margaret Tuerk, Mary Tuerk, Barbara (husband, Rich)
5 McDermott, and Tina (husband, Kelly) O'Keeffe; his 11
6 grandchildren; his nieces and nephews; and his many
7 colleagues and friends on both sides of the aisle in the
8 Illinois State Legislature; therefore, be it
9 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11 we mourn, along with all who knew him, the death of former
12 Illinois State Representative Fred J. Tuerk of Peoria,
13 Illinois; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15 presented to the family of Representative Fred J. Tuerk with
16 our sincere condolences.