HR0099 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0099 LRB100 10488 MST 20702 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Dallas Burke who passed away on January 27, 2017, at the age of 90; and

WHEREAS, Dallas Burke served seven terms as the Madison County Coroner from 1972 to 2000; she was the first female coroner in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Dallas Burke was at the forefront of modernizing death investigations; in the early 1990s, she opened the first county-operated morgue and autopsy facility in downstate Illinois; she moved the office from a volunteer-oriented operation to one that employed full-time death investigators; she was on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week; her cases ranged from the complex and complicated to the simple and routine, but each and every one was equally respected; and

WHEREAS, Dallas Burke knocked on many doors, delivering news that no one wanted to hear and quietly endured the anger that comes with grief and offered solace to the bereaved; and

WHEREAS, Dallas Burke never was thought of as an "ex-corner"; her influence remained with the office long after she stepped down; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Dallas Burke, 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 Dallas Burke as an expression of our deepest sympathy.