SR0621 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0621 LRB095 20626 GRL 48766 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Walter J. Hickey of Alton, who passed away on March 24, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey was born on December 18, 1948 in Alton; he was son of John J. and Mary Margaret (Gibbons) Hickey; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey proudly served his country in the United States Army in Germany during the Vietnam Conflict; and

WHEREAS, Following his stint in the United States Army, Dr. Walter J. Hickey returned home and earned his bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville; he then began working in public relations and advertising in Chicago, working at firms such as Carl Byior and Associates and the Pacific Federation of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Following a 20 year career in corporate public relations at SBC, Dr. Walter J. Hickey fulfilled his lifelong goal by returning to higher education, justifying the faith placed in him by several early mentors, including Drs. Nicholas Joost, Fred Robbins, and John McCluskey; he earned his master's degree in literature from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and successfully defended his dissertation at Saint Louis University in 2006; after defending his dissertation, he was conferred a Ph.D. in British Literature; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey read and wrote prodigiously throughout his entire life, publishing and winning awards for his short fiction and poetry; he was featured in journals such as the Sou'wester, Prairie Light Review, and the Atlantic Monthly; he also presented papers on pedagogy and literature at the National Conferences of the MLA and the Community College Humanities Association; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey attended the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Alton; he was a member of the Appearance Review Commission in Alton, the Hibernians, Phi Beta Kappa, the NAACP, and the Madison County Urban League; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey is survived by his daughters, Nora C. Hickey and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Hickey; his son, Morgan John Hickey; his grandson, Conor J. Hickey; his siblings and their spouses, Ralpha and Randy Hausmann, Kathleen Reilly, Patricia and Rollin Martin, Rebecca and Gary Osborne, and James and Marcy Hickey; and his dog and best friend, Whitey Davis Hickey; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Dr. Walter J. Hickey; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Walter J. Hickey as an expression of our sympathy.