SR0843 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0843 LRB097 21926 GRL 70632 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Philip Harnett Corboy, who passed away on June 12, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy was the brother, son, grandson, and nephew of Chicago police officers; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy was a proud graduate of St. Margaret Mary Grade School and St. George High School; he subsequently attended 4 colleges and in 1949 graduated first in his class from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy was renowned as a pioneer in personal injury law and was affectionately known as "The Dean"; as the Senior Partner and Founder of Corboy & Demetrio, P.C., he devoted his career to representing the rights of the injured and their families with integrity, diligence, and respect for the rule of law for over 60 years; during his career, he won many big awards from large corporations and was instrumental in ushering in the tamper-proof lids that drug companies put on bottles of pain reliever; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy served as president of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association; he was a former chairman of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association and a former chair of the American Bar Association's Special Committee on Medical Professional Liability; he was a member of the American Association for Justice, the Inner Circle of Advocates, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the Center for Disability and Elder Law; he also served as general counsel for the Illinois Democratic Party and served on the boards of directors of numerous business, legal, and charitable groups and many medical and legal task forces; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy was well known in his community for his great commitment to charity work; he served as a leader of the Catholic Archdiocese 'Big Shoulders' fund for many years; the Philip H. Corboy Law Center building was dedicated to him at the Loyola University School of Law, where he and his wife made the largest single gift in the school's history, and a room was named for him at the Chicago Bar Association; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy was listed by the National Law Journal as one of the top 100 most influential lawyers in the country since 1985, when the survey began, and was one of only 13 lawyers nationwide to hold that distinction; he was listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" since its inception in 1987; he was also the recipient of the 1996 Big Shoulders Humanitarian Award for his commitment to a fund for inner-city Catholic schools; and

WHEREAS, Philip Corboy was the dearly beloved husband of Mary A. Dempsey; the loving father of Philip Harnett, Jr. (Margaret), Dr. John (Alix), Thomas (Shanti), the late Joan (James Epstein), and the late Bobby Corboy; the adored grandfather of Matt and Nora Epstein, Lauren, Bobby, David, Kevin, Juliette, and Ryan Corboy; the loving brother of Daniel, ret. CPD (Nancy) Corboy and the late Marge (the late Lawrence) Kotin; the fondest brother-in-law of Sheila (John) Ryden, William (Rose) Dempsey, Dr. Robert (Diane) Dempsey, and Mark Dempsey; the dear uncle of Dan (Jean) Kotin, Karen Corboy, Dr. Daniel (Dr. Jackie) Corboy, Kara, Conor, Emily, and Genevieve Dempsey, and Jack, Michael, and Mark Ryden; and the devoted son of the late Harold and the late Marie Corboy; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Philip Harnett Corboy; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Philip Corboy as an expression of our sympathy.