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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
4Kane County Sheriff George Kramer, who passed away on January
524, 2015; and
 
6    WHEREAS, George Kramer was born on August 20, 1933 in
7Aurora; his parents were Herman and Evelyn (nee Holter) Kramer;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, George Kramer was raised on a dairy farm and
10attended school in a one-room schoolhouse; he later attended
11the Marmion Military Academy from 1949 to 1952; in 1994, he was
12inducted into the Academy's Hall of Fame; and
 
13    WHEREAS, George Kramer met his wife, Trudy, through mutual
14friends after high school; after marrying in 1953, the pair
15began their married lives together at Fort Leonard Wood in
16Missouri, where he was stationed at the time; and
 
17    WHEREAS, George Kramer was a prolific athlete; after
18graduating from high school, he attended the University of
19Dayton in Ohio on a football scholarship; unfortunately, he
20left there after only a year of study in order to return home
21and help on the family farm; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, As a testament to his strong sense of character
2and determination, George Kramer completed his collegiate
3studies in the 1970s; after attending Waubonsee Community
4College, he would ultimately earn a Bachelor's Degree in Law
5Enforcement from Lewis University; and
 
6    WHEREAS, George Kramer was a semi-professional football
7player and a professional wrestler; he also played for the
8Aurora Clippers and Elmhurst Travelers semi-professional
9football teams; during his tenure as a professional wrestler,
10he was known as "Tiny" Kramer; and
 
11    WHEREAS, George Kramer began his laudable career in law
12enforcement with the Batavia Police Department, serving the
13Department for 23 years; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1978, George Kramer was elected to serve his
15community as Sheriff; he would go on to serve 2 continuous
164-year terms from 1978 to 1986; and
 
17    WHEREAS, George Kramer's illustrious career in law
18enforcement was marked most notably by his benevolent work with
19youths in the correctional system; with the help of his
20longtime friend and Undersheriff, Pete Perez, he created
21various programs designed to assist juvenile offenders,

 

 

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1including the Kane County Juvenile Officers Association; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Pete Perez's son and former Kane County Sheriff,
3Pat Perez, summed up the work of Sheriff Kramer and
4Undersheriff Perez best; in recounting the tireless efforts of
5Mr. Kramer and his father to visit youth homes in Kane County,
6Pat Perez recalled that, "they saw [the need to help troubled
7youths at home] as an avenue to help get kids back on the
8straight and narrow" and that "they'd seen the ups and downs of
9law enforcement together ... [yet] I think they learned to stay
10... willing to evolve"; and
 
11    WHEREAS, George Kramer is survived by his wife, Trudy, and
12their 7 children; one of his children, Donald Kramer, currently
13serves as Kane County Sheriff; and
 
14    WHEREAS, George Kramer's outstanding legacy is marked by
15the love for his family, the resilient devotion to helping
16at-risk youth, and the unwavering passion he displayed for the
17protection of his community; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
20mourn the passing of George Kramer and extend our sincere
21condolences to his family, friends, and all those who knew and
22loved him; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of George Kramer as an expression of
3our deepest sympathy and most sincere appreciation for his
4service to the residents of Kane County.