SR2372 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2372 LRB099 22224 MST 50139 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Mary Elizabeth (nee Kerwin) White of River Forest, who passed away on June 2, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Mary White was born on April 3, 1923, the eldest of eight children, and grew up in Elmhurst and Oak Park; she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart boarding school in Lake Forest and Rosary College; and

WHEREAS, Mary White married Gregory White, a family practice physician, and was the mother of 11 children; with the support of her husband, she decided to start breastfeeding her children during a time when most women were using formula and public breastfeeding was seen as taboo; and

WHEREAS, Mary White, along with six other mothers, held a breastfeeding support group meeting at her Franklin Park home in October of 1956, which led to the founding of the La Leche League, an international organization which promotes breastfeeding for infant and maternal health; and

WHEREAS, While the international headquarters remains in Chicago, La Leche League's membership has grown from the nearly 20 women present at the first meeting to millions of women in over 70 countries today; the founders co-authored "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding", a primer on breastfeeding, which has sold two million copies and is in its eighth edition; and

WHEREAS, Mary White is survived by her daughters, Clare Daly, Mary Catherine Thornton, Anne White, Mary Regina Stirton, Mary Dooley, Maureen Smillie, and Elizabeth Dillon; her sons, Joseph, William, and Michael; her brothers, Michael, Joseph, and Paul; 61 grandchildren and 110 great-grandchildren; a host of nieces and nephews; and surviving La Leche League founders Marian Thompson and Mary Ann Kerwin, Mary White's sister-in-law; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Mary White, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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