HR0791 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0791 LRB098 19510 MST 54686 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former State Representative Eugene "Gene" Schlickman, who passed away at the age of 84 on January 23, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was born on December 17, 1929 in Dubuque, Iowa to Leander and Helen (nee Juergens) Schlickman; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was raised in Rockford and worked part-time for his father's Tydee Dydee Diaper Service; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was a partner in the Arlington Heights law firm of Burfeind and Schlickman; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman served for 4 years as the Republican Committeeman from Wheeling Township; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in the famous "bedsheet ballot" election of 1964 and he served with distinction until 1981; and

WHEREAS, During his years in the legislature, Representative Schlickman led a number of significant legislative initiatives including prison reform, regional planning and land use, aid to parochial schools, aid to higher education and public mass transit, and assistance for people with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman received Outstanding Legislator awards from the John Howard Association, Rutgers University, groups supporting independent higher education, and the Suburban Township Association for the Disabled; and

WHEREAS, The Chicago Today newspaper editorialized his stance in support of the newly-created Regional Transportation Agency "ranks as a profile in courage...and makes us wish there were more people like Schlickman in Springfield"; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman lost only one election in his life and that was the race for the Republican nomination for Congress in 1969, a race which had 8 candidates vying for the nomination to replace Donald Rumfeld; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was a voracious reader and history buff who greeted first-time visitors to his home with the gift of free rein of his floor-to-ceiling library where friends could sift through his prized collection of books and keep any book they wanted from the shelves; and

WHEREAS, After Representative Schlickman's retirement from public office, he continued to practice law at an Arlington Heights firm and co-authored "Kerner: The Conflict of Intangible Rights", a well-received and acclaimed biography on former Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, and he co-authored the first biography on Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was preceded in death by his parents, Leander and Helen (Juergens) Schlickman and his brother, John Schlickman; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman is survived by his wife, Sherry (nee O'Connor); his 4 children; his 7 step-children; his 14 grandchildren; and his 7 great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was admired by his family and viewed by many of his fellow legislators from both parties as an independent person of integrity and statesmanship; and

WHEREAS, Representative Schlickman was a dedicated community servant who worked tirelessly on behalf of the people of Arlington Heights and of Illinois's 3rd and 4th House Districts; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Representative Eugene "Gene" Schlickman, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Representative Schlickman as an expression of our deepest sympathy and most sincere appreciation of his service to the State of Illinois and his dedication to the constituents of the House Districts he represented.