SR0419 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0419 LRB097 14550 KXB 59406 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Alan Guthrie Willis of Bolingbrook, who passed away on October 1, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Willis grew up near St. Louis, Missouri, and studied history at Washington University; he obtained a master's degree in American history from the State University of New York and another master's degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and

WHEREAS, After a brief stint as a welfare case worker, he moved to the Chicago area and worked as a librarian for nearly 10 years in Bolingbrook, followed by a position at North Central College's Oesterle Library in Naperville; he later worked for Nichols Library in Naperville, where he met his wife, a fellow employee at the time, and remained there until retirement; and

WHEREAS, He co-authored the book, American Suburbs: Rating Guide and Fact Book, in the early 1990s; he collected 78 rpm records, especially those featuring African-American jazz bands of the 1930s, baseball cards, stamps, and classic films; he was an avid birder, researched the history of geography, and played the hammered dulcimer; and

WHEREAS, He was very active in the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lisle; he was a member of the Brotherhood Men's Ministry and president of both the Chancel Choir and Hospitality Ministry; and

WHEREAS, He was also a former precinct captain in Bolingbrook and volunteered to help the homeless with DuPage PADS in Wheaton; one of his proudest accomplishments was working with community leaders in Bolingbrook to mark the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; and

WHEREAS, Alan Willis is survived by his wife, Lakshmi Kapoor Willis; his stepson, Hareesh Kapoor; and his brothers, Wayne and Geoffrey Willis; 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 Alan Willis; and be it further

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