SJ0078 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0078 SDS093 00104 SLH 40055 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the 93rd General Assembly of the State of Illinois learned with great sadness of the death of their colleague, Senator Vince Demuzio, on Tuesday, April 27, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio was born on May 7, 1941, in Gillespie; he attended Ss. Simon and Jude Catholic School and Gillespie High School; he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and human services from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 1981; he earned a Master of Arts degree in education and public policy from the same school in 1996; he received an Honorary Doctorate from Lewis & Clark Community College, and a Doctor of Laws, Honorist Causa, from Blackburn College; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio was currently the Senate Majority Leader, Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, and Dean of the Illinois Senate, having served in the upper chamber since 1975; he was also a sitting member of the Education, Executive, and Executive Appointments Committees; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his election to the Illinois Senate from the 49th legislative district, he served as Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Economic Development Corporation, a community action agency providing programs in job training, senior citizen nutrition, day care, sheltered workshops for the physically and mentally handicapped, and other social services; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio was appointed Assistant Senate Majority Leader in the 83rd General Assembly (1983-1984) and was reappointed in the 84th, 85th, 86th, and 87th General Assemblies; in January of 1993, he was appointed Assistant Democratic Leader of the 88th General Assembly and again reappointed in the 89th, 90th, 91st, and 92nd; In January of 2003, he was appointed Senate Majority Leader, only the second person in the last thirty years to hold that position; Senator Demuzio was one of the General Assembly's leading spokesmen for the interests of downstate Illinois; he was also a member of the Legislative Audit Commission and served on the Steering Committee to re-examine the Illinois Constitution; he served on both the 1991 and 2001 Legislative Redistricting Commissions; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio was elected to the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee from the 20th Congressional District in 1982, and re-elected in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998; he was elected Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party in April of 1986 and served through April of 1990; he was the first Chairman elected from downstate Illinois in more than 40 years and is credited with rebuilding the infrastructure of the Illinois Democratic Party; he also served as Chairman of the Illinois delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta in 1988 and as a member of the Democratic National Committee's Executive Committee; he often served as the emcee at the Illinois State Fair's annual Democrat Day; and

WHEREAS, As a freshman senator in the post-Watergate era, Vince Demuzio is credited with bringing legislative and Democratic Party reforms with a like-minded group of lawmakers affectionately known as the "Crazy Eight"; he was an advocate for consumers; and

WHEREAS, The hallmark of Senator Demuzio's legislative career was education. Senator Demuzio believed that educating children well was an investment in the future. His outspoken advocacy for Illinois schools throughout the years made him one of the foremost leaders on education issues in the Senate, earning him a spot on the education committee in each of his thirty years serving in the Senate; and

WHEREAS, He fought valiantly to secure funds for the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired and the School for the Deaf, which were both in his district and held a special place in his heart; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio received numerous distinguished legislative service awards during his tenure; he served as Secretary of the Blackburn College Board of Trustees in Carlinville, Vice Chair of the Carlinville Hospital Board, and he was on the Board of Directors for Kemmerer Village, a child care agency, in Assumption; he was a member of numerous fraternal and social organizations; and

WHEREAS, Among the highlights of his legislative career, Senator Demuzio played a major role in securing funding for the creation of the Orr Research Center in Pike County and the completion of the Central Illinois Expressway, Route 36 (currently, I-72), from Jacksonville to Quincy; he received national attention as part of a fight to clean up hazardous waste in Wilsonville and has helped obtain funding for major road improvements along the Route 67 corridor from Alton to Jacksonville; in 1999, he led a coalition from Christian County that convinced the Governor to appropriate funds in the Illinois FIRST program to turn Route 29 from Rochester to Taylorville into a four-lane road; he helped numerous rural communities obtain funding for sewer and water improvements and was especially proud to sponsor legislation renaming the State's income tax check-off for breast and cervical cancer on the State income tax return in honor of the late State Senator Penny Severns; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Senator Vince Demuzio has been deeply felt by many across Illinois, especially his wife, Deanna (Clemonds); his son, Brad and his wife Lori (Hackman); his daughter, Stephanie Blair and her husband, Patrick; his mother, Catherine (Murphy) Demuzio; his mother-in-law, Virginia Clemonds; his sisters, Marlene Demuzio, Donna Burke, Catherine Visintin, and Bernadette Hasquin; and his 4 grandchildren, Blake, Brooke, Tristan, and Gillian; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the passing of Senator Vince Demuzio, our friend and colleague, who served the people with honor and distinction and exemplified the highest standards, which won him unequivocal admiration; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Senator Vince Demuzio as an expression of our sincerest condolences for the loss of their loved one and our friend.