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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Michael McLaughlin of Queens, New York,
4 who passed away on August 9, 2009; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Michael was born October 26, 1970 in Berkeley,
6 California, to Rohana and Lucas McLaughlin; he grew up in the
7 shadow of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County where his love for
8 the outdoors was nurtured; as the oldest of three children, he
9 played the role of quintessential joker as well as mentor and
10 coach; and
 
11     WHEREAS, He attended Sarah Lawrence College where he
12 studied theater; after college, he and his late friend, Jordan
13 Berlant, moved to New York; their West Village apartment,
14 nicknamed "The Tiny Happy", became a haven for an entire
15 community of artists, musicians, and theater folks who inspired
16 each other at regular "salons"; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Michael moved to San Francisco where he met his
18 future wife, Lauren; at their wedding on July 28, 2002, they
19 vowed to value their relationship over being right and to value
20 each other's dreams and struggles; together they created a life
21 that brought them on a tour of the most expensive cities in
22 America, including San Francisco, Boston, and finally New York,

 

 

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1 where Michael earned his Masters degree in film from Columbia
2 University; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Along the way Michael helped Lauren to start her
4 own business and Lauren helped Michael to pursue his career as
5 a filmmaker, editor, and screenwriter; they both laughed
6 together, danced as much as possible, adored each other, and
7 looked for new opportunities to live life to the fullest; and
 
8     WHEREAS, During Michael's career he worked with many
9 incredible people in different media including live theater,
10 puppetry, and short fiction; Michael was an emerging filmmaker
11 whose short film "Shadow Puppets of Doom" was widely shown in
12 film festivals and won the "Best Screenplay" award in the Marin
13 County Film Festival; one of his final projects was a pilot
14 reality television show that would inspire others to go after
15 what they want in life; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Michael was always in search of the next
17 adventure, whether it was whitewater rafting, skydiving,
18 backpacking, wandering into bookstores in the West Village,
19 traveling, juggling, eating pie and foods he couldn't
20 pronounce, and following his intense commitment to his study of
21 Karate; Michael's infectious delight in playful creativity,
22 his oddball and far-fetched plots, his optimism, and his
23 determination will be remembered with love; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, He will be missed by his wife, Lauren McLaughlin;
2 his mother, Rohana McLaughlin; his sister, Halima; his brother,
3 Marlon; his cousin, Vanessa Kummerle; his uncle, Clyde
4 Kummerle; his extended family; and his strong circle of
5 friends; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
7 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
8 his family and friends, the passing of Michael McLaughlin; and
9 be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to the family of Michael McLaughlin as a symbol of
12 our sincere sympathy.