SR0204 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0204 LRB096 12319 KXB 25153 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Andrew Prinz, director of urban studies at Elmhurst College, who passed away on March 26, 2009; and

WHEREAS, He came to Elmhurst in the fall of 1969, from Concordia College in River Forest, where he had taught for nine years; he came to Elmhurst College to establish the Department of Urban Studies; he passionately loved urban life, even at its lowest ebb, and he communicated his enthusiasm tirelessly to his students, not only in his classroom but also on the streets of Chicago, Sydney, Beijing, London, Moscow, Amsterdam, Toronto, and other cities where he took his classes on journeys of celebration and discovery; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Prinz had a positive genius for friendship, and a knack for reaching out to anyone within hailing distance; and

WHEREAS, He grew up in Lincoln Park, on Chicago's North Side; his father, a shoemaker, ran a thriving shop on Armitage Avenue; he grew up speaking mostly German around the house; he attended Luther Institute, a private school on the Near West Side; he left Lincoln Park for Rock Island and Augustana College; at Augustana, he pursued multiple majors in history, political science, and geography in preparation for a career as a high school teacher; at Northwestern University, he completed a master’s degree in 1958 and a doctorate in 1963; and

WHEREAS, He was involved in politics and was elected Democratic Party Committeeman for Oak Park in 1973; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Prinz actively recruited fifteen to twenty students to his department in any given year for the urban studies program and a chance to experience city life; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Prinz is survived by his wife, Carol, their children, Kurt Prinz, Linda Hoffman, Diane Gardner, and Mark Prinz, his brother, Edward Prinz, his six grandchildren; and countless former students; therefore, be it

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

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Andrew Prinz as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.