Full Text of SR1605 100th General Assembly
SR1605 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Charles "John" Mahoney of Oak Park, who | 4 | | passed away on February 4, 2018; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, John Mahoney was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, | 6 | | England to Reginald and Margaret (Watson) Mahoney on June 20, | 7 | | 1940; originally from Manchester, his family was evacuated to | 8 | | Lancashire during World War II; when he was three months old, | 9 | | his family returned to Withington and Ardwick Green in | 10 | | Manchester, and he attended the area schools throughout his | 11 | | childhood; his love of theater led him to the Stretford | 12 | | Children's Theatre in Stretford, England, where he played the | 13 | | role of Polonius in "Hamlet" at the age of 12; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, In 1951, John Mahoney traveled to Illinois to | 15 | | visit his sister, Vera Jones, who had married an American | 16 | | sailor during the war; he was so impressed by his visit to the | 17 | | United States that he returned eight years later under his | 18 | | sister's sponsorship; he earned his United States citizenship | 19 | | in 1959 after serving in the United States Army, an experience | 20 | | that also inspired him to shed his British accent; after his | 21 | | military service, he worked his way through college as a | 22 | | hospital orderly and earned a bachelor's degree from Quincy | 23 | | College in Illinois (now Quincy University); he then earned a |
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| 1 | | Master of Arts in English from Western Illinois University; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, John Mahoney briefly worked as a teacher and then | 3 | | editor of a technical publication, the Journal for the Joint | 4 | | Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals; unfulfilled with | 5 | | office work, he was prompted to return to his love of theater | 6 | | and took acting classes at the St. Nicholas Theater in Chicago | 7 | | with playwright David Mamet; he then appeared in David Mamet's | 8 | | production of "The Water Engine," alongside John Malkovich, | 9 | | which put him on the path to becoming a professional actor; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In 1979, John Mahoney was invited to join the | 11 | | Steppenwolf Theatre Company, founded by John Malkovich and Gary | 12 | | Sinise in Chicago in 1974; he continued to perform there as an | 13 | | ensemble member for the rest of his life; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, In 1986, John Mahoney won a Tony Award for his | 15 | | work in the production of John Guare's "The House of Blue | 16 | | Leaves"; while he had numerous roles in both film and | 17 | | television, including in the movie "Moonstruck," his most | 18 | | memorable role was the that of Marty Crane, father of Frasier | 19 | | and Niles, on the hit television show "Frasier"; his final | 20 | | screen appearance was in the British television drama "Foyle's | 21 | | War" in 2015, where he played an ailing, bed-bound former Texas | 22 | | oil tycoon; while he was proud of his television and film work, | 23 | | he was especially proud of his stage performances and called |
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| 1 | | the theater his real home; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, John Mahoney spent as much time as possible in his | 3 | | adopted hometown of Oak Park, which he praised for its | 4 | | combination of culture and Midwestern friendliness; he was a | 5 | | fixture in the Oak Park-Forest Park area for the last three | 6 | | decades; he enjoyed many restaurants, including Cucina | 7 | | Paradiso and Marion Street Grill, and he was a loyal customer | 8 | | at Val's Halla Records; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, John Mahoney was active in his community and | 10 | | supported several local causes, including St. Malachy School | 11 | | and SOS Children's Villages Illinois and headlining the | 12 | | fundraising event "From Harlem Avenue to Hollywood Boulevard: | 13 | | An Evening with John Mahoney" for the Historical Society of Oak | 14 | | Park-River Forest; he will be remembered for his kindness and | 15 | | generosity; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, John Mahoney is survived by his sister, Rita | 17 | | Sullivan and numerous nieces and nephews, both in the United | 18 | | States and England; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 20 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 21 | | Charles "John" Mahoney and extend our sincere condolences to | 22 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it |
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| 1 | | further
| 2 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 3 | | presented to the family of John Mahoney as an expression of our | 4 | | deepest sympathy.
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