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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 were saddened to learn of the death of Floyd Kalber of Burr
4 Ridge, formerly a Hinsdale resident, on May 13, 2004; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Mr. Kalber was born on December 23, 1924, in
6 Omaha, Nebraska; in Omaha, he met and married his high school
7 classmate Betty Rhodes; and
 
8     WHEREAS, He served in the Army in the South Pacific during
9 World War II; and
 
10     WHEREAS, In 1946, he began his career as a radio announcer
11 in Kearney, Nebraska; his television career began in Omaha at
12 KMTV, where he pioneered the news department for a decade; and
 
13     WHEREAS, In 1960, Mr. Kalber was hired by WMAQ-TV, a NBC
14 News affiliate in Chicago; within a few months of his arrival
15 at WMAQ-TV he began a 16-year run as the 10 p.m. anchorman for
16 the NBC-owned station; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Mr. Kalber was a correspondent for NBC News and
18 sometimes hosted the Sunday NBC Nightly News; in 1976, he left
19 WMAQ-TV to begin doing the news for the "Today" show ; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Mr. Kalber retired from the network in 1981, but
21 was coaxed out of retirement in 1984 to help revive Chicago's
22 WLS-TV by anchoring the 6 p.m. newscast; he enjoyed another run
23 atop the ratings for 14 years and retired from the ABC
24 affiliate in 1998; and
 
25     WHEREAS, He received the nickname "The Big Tuna" of
26 television news because his power in the newsroom was perceived
27 to be as great as the power of the late Chicago mob boss Tony
28 "Big Tuna" Acardo; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, He was a 33rd-degree Mason and a multiple Emmy
2 Award winner; he was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall
3 of Fame and received the Radio and Television News Directors
4 Association's Silver Circle Award; he was also a life trustee
5 of The Community House in Hinsdale; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The passing of Floyd Kalber will be deeply felt by
7 many, especially his wife of 57 years, Betty; his children,
8 Mick (Ann) and Kathy Kinsella; and his grandchildren, Ivory and
9 Sage Kalber, and Christopher, Michael, Patrick, and Molly
10 Kinsella; therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
12 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of
13 Floyd Kalber along with all who knew and loved him and extend
14 our sincere condolences to his family and friends; and be it
15 further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to Floyd Kalber as an expression of our deepest
18 sympathy.