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91_HR0901
LRB9115036KBkb
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 Bernard Weissbourd, who recently
5 passed away; and
6 WHEREAS, Bernard Weissbourd was a graduate and
7 valedictorian of Senn High School; he entered the University
8 of Chicago on a full scholarship at the age of fifteen; he
9 earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry and was invited
10 by Chancellor Robert Hutchins to attend the University of
11 Chicago Law School on a full scholarship; Mr. Weissbourd
12 excelled in law school, and also served as editor of the law
13 review; and
14 WHEREAS, Bernard Weissbourd entered the United States
15 Army during his first year of law school; the United States
16 was involved in World War II when Mr. Weissbourd received a
17 note asking him to return to Chicago where a professor who
18 had taught Mr. Weissbourd had recommended him for a part in
19 the Manhattan Project; during his involvement he invented new
20 equipment for the detection of elements and participated in
21 the discovery of plutonium; and
22 WHEREAS, Bernard Weissbourd returned to law school after
23 his service ended, where he graduated at the top of his
24 class; from 1948 to 1959 he served as a partner in the
25 Antonow and Weissbourd law firm; he was asked to take over
26 Herb Greenwald's real estate development company, which he
27 renamed Metropolitan Structures; the firm developed many of
28 Chicago's famous buildings, including One Illinois Center,
29 the Essex Inn, the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the Mercantile
30 Exchange Center, and Buckingham Plaza, as well as Nuns Island
31 in Montreal; and
32 WHEREAS, Bernard Weissbourd campaigned for Chicago Mayor
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1 Harold Washington, wrote position papers for President Jimmy
2 Carter and presidential candidate Walter Mondale, and held
3 SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) meetings in
4 his backyard; together with his wife and Irving Harris he
5 co-founded Family Focus, a community-based, family support
6 program; he also founded the Center for Psycho-Social
7 Studies, now the Center for Transcultural Studies, an
8 international center dedicated to cross-cultural
9 understanding; and
10 WHEREAS, The passing of Bernard Weissbourd will be felt
11 by all who knew him, especially his wife, Bernice; his sons,
12 Robert, Burt, and Rick; his daughter, Ruth Weissbourd Grant;
13 and his eleven grandchildren; therefore, be it
14 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16 we mourn, along with all who knew him, the passing of Bernard
17 Weissbourd; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to the family of Bernard Weissbourd.