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90_SR0037
LRB9005422XXcb
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of this august body are proud and
3 honored to recognize fellow members as they leave this
4 chamber to pursue new endeavors; and
5 WHEREAS, Senator Thomas A. Dunn of Joliet will end his
6 distinguished ten-year career in the Illinois Senate on March
7 14, 1997; and
8 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn was born on October 12, 1942 in
9 Joliet to Francis and Helen Dunn; and
10 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn is a graduate of Joliet Catholic
11 High School, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint
12 Ambrose College of Davenport, Iowa, and received his Juris
13 Doctor from the DePaul University School of Law; and
14 WHEREAS, At the age of 18, Thomas A. Dunn was recognized
15 as an All-American trapshooter; and
16 WHEREAS, During the early 1960's Thomas A. Dunn worked
17 for three years as a truck driver, a job which later in life
18 allowed him to understand and represent the needs of his
19 large blue-collar constituency; and
20 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn served his country proudly and
21 distinguished himself in Vietnam as a Corporal in the United
22 States Marine Corps, serving as a helicopter machine gunner,
23 and successfully completing more than 200 combat missions,
24 for which he was awarded Permanent Combat Wings, a
25 Presidential Citation, and four Air Medals; and
26 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn is married to the former Bonnie
27 McNichols, a loving union which has produced three daughters:
28 Meagan, Moira, and Kiely; and
29 WHEREAS, For many years during Tom's tenure in the
30 Senate, the entire Dunn family traveled to Springfield for
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1 days when lawmakers were in session, and Bonnie and the three
2 young Dunn girls were a welcome presence in the Senate
3 chambers and the Capitol complex; and
4 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn followed in the footsteps of his
5 legendary father Francis Dunn and became a respected leader
6 in Democratic Party circles, serving as a member of the
7 Democratic National Committee and as an Illinois Democratic
8 State Central Committeeman; and
9 WHEREAS, Prior to his election to the Illinois Senate,
10 Thomas A. Dunn served as a Cook County Legal Aid and in the
11 Cook County State's Attorney's office, and as a partner in
12 the Joliet law firm of Dunn, Martin and Miller; and
13 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn was elected to the Illinois
14 Senate in 1986 and was re-elected in 1988, 1992 and 1996; and
15 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn is former chairman and current
16 minority spokesman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and has
17 also served on the Senate Committees on Agriculture and
18 Conservation, Appropriations, Revenue, Local Government, and
19 Public Health and Commerce; and
20 WHEREAS, During his ten years in the Senate, Thomas A.
21 Dunn has been a tireless advocate for local economic
22 development, victims rights, the rights of veterans, the
23 rights and benefits of senior citizens, the rights of working
24 men and women, tax limitation and property tax relief,
25 changing the way Illinois funds public education, curbing
26 gang violence, and protecting the American flag; and
27 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn was instrumental in bringing
28 riverboat gaming to his district, which provided badly needed
29 local jobs and tax revenue, and has also worked to find a new
30 use for the Joliet Arsenal; and
31 WHEREAS, Because of his outstanding legislative
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1 achievements, Thomas A. Dunn has been recognized by such
2 organizations as the Illinois Hospital Association, Illinois
3 Farm Bureau, Illinois Education Association, Taxpayers
4 Federation of Illinois, National Taxpayers United of
5 Illinois, Illinois Council of Senior Citizens Organizations,
6 Associated Firefighters, Illinois States Attorneys
7 Association, and the Illinois Coalition for Citizens with
8 Disabilities; and
9 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn has also been active in civic and
10 community affairs in Joliet and the surrounding area, serving
11 as a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Francis College,
12 the Board of St. Joseph Hospital, the Stone City VFW, as well
13 as many other groups and organizations; and
14 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn has also served with distinction
15 as a member of, among other groups, the Illinois State
16 Justice Commission, the Legislative Committee on Juvenile
17 Justice, and the Medicaid and Welfare Reform Task Force; and
18 WHEREAS, Thomas A. Dunn will end his distinguished tenure
19 as a State Senator to take the Oath of Office as an Associate
20 Judge in Will County on March 14, 1997; therefore, be it
21 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
22 OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Thomas A. Dunn
23 on his outstanding service to the citizens of the 42nd and
24 43rd Districts, and extend our gratitude for having him as a
25 member of this august body for the past ten years; and be it
26 further
27 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this preamble and
28 resolution be presented to Thomas A. Dunn, along with our
29 very best wishes to Tom and the entire Dunn family for
30 success and happiness in all of their future endeavors.