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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
4 Illinois State Senator Adeline Geo-Karis of Zion, who passed
5 away on February 10, 2008; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was born on March 29, 1918 in
7 Tegeas, Greece; she came to the United States at the age of
8 four; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis graduated from Austin High
10 School in 1936 and from Herzl Junior College two years later;
11 she went on to attend Northwestern University before receiving
12 her L.L.B. from DePaul University; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis worked hard throughout her
14 career to serve the public with dignity and integrity; she
15 served the citizens of Lake County in the Illinois General
16 Assembly for 34 years, where she gained a sterling reputation
17 as an efficient and dedicated lawmaker; she also served as a
18 lieutenant commander in the United States Naval Reserves, as an
19 Assistant State's Attorney, as a Justice of the Peace, and as
20 the Mayor of Zion; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was the first woman ever to be

 

 

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1 appointed to the position of Assistant State's Attorney in Lake
2 County; she went on to become the first woman from Lake County
3 to be elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and the
4 Illinois Senate; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was the first woman in Illinois
6 history to serve in the Senate Leadership, serving as Assistant
7 Senate Majority Leader from 1993 until 2003; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was the Minority Spokesman and
9 Co-Chair for the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, one
10 of only two Republican Senators to serve as co-chairperson of a
11 committee in the 94th General Assembly; she also served as a
12 member of the Financial Institutions Committee and as chairman
13 of the Senate Republican Task Force on Veterans; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was a strong advocate for
15 veterans; she served as Chairperson of the Senate Republican
16 Task Force on Veterans, where she tirelessly worked to protect
17 our men and women in the United States Armed Forces, an
18 expression of her intense patriotism; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis worked for her constituents in a
20 bipartisan manner to enact legislation for strong crime
21 control, veterans rights, senior citizens and children
22 protections, people with disabilities, and the working person;

 

 

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1 and
 
2     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis pioneered legislation on
3 gasohol, solar energy, and other alternative energy resources;
4 she was cited for her sponsorship of the Nuclear Safety
5 Preparedness Act, the Alternative Energy Act, and on many laws
6 which increased safety on Illinois lakes, among many others;
7 and
 
8     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis successfully sponsored and
9 supported many pieces of important crime-control legislation
10 and was a proud sponsor of the "Guilty but Mentally Ill" law;
11 and
 
12     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was intensely committed and
13 supportive of the business communities, senior citizens, and
14 agriculture of this State; her work undoubtedly resulted in
15 better lives and more opportunities for many of her
16 constituents and the people of Illinois at large; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was an avid supporter for
18 passage of the Equal Rights Amendment during the 1970s and
19 1980s; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was elected as a delegate to the
21 1984, 1988, and 1996 National Republican Conventions and as

 

 

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1 secretary to the Illinois Delegation; she was also elected as
2 an Alternate Delegate to the 1992 National Republican
3 Convention; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was the head of her own law firm
5 in Zion; she also served as a municipal attorney for Mundelein,
6 Vernon Hills, Libertyville Township, and Long Grove School
7 District, and was elected Justice of the Peace in Lake County
8 in 1949; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was a member of St. Demetrios
10 Greek Orthodox Church in Waukegan and served as the past
11 president of the Parish Board of Trustees and Ladies Auxiliary;
12 and
 
13     WHEREAS, In honor of Adeline Geo-Karis' dedication to the
14 people of Illinois, the Illinois Beach State Park in Zion was
15 renamed the Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park in
16 2006; she was also the recipient of countless honors and awards
17 in recognition of her incredible work in government; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was very proud of her American
19 citizenship, yet cherished her Greek heritage, working hard to
20 assist and support the Greek community throughout her public
21 career; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Adeline Geo-Karis was affectionately dubbed "Geo"
2 by her friends and colleagues in the General Assembly; she was
3 a beloved political icon known by the people of the State for
4 her intelligence, compassion, and gracious demeanor; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The loss of Adeline Geo-Karis will be felt
6 immensely by her former colleagues and constituents, who had
7 been so greatly served by this legendary legislator; therefore,
8 be it
 
9     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11 mourn the death of Adeline Geo-Karis and honor the life and
12 memory of this great legislator; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to the family of Adeline Geo-Karis as a symbol of our
15 utmost sympathy.