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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Karen
4Beyer, a pillar of the Elgin community and the former CEO of
5the Ecker Center for Mental Health; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer was a native of Euclid, Ohio; she
7earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and
8three master's degrees; she earned her Master of Social Work
9from Loyola University; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer spent 10 years as Director of Health
11and Human Services for the Village of Hoffman Estates and
12eight years as the executive director at the Larkin Center;
13for nearly 20 years, she worked at the Ecker Center to help
14reshape the conversation around mental health and eliminate
15the stigma toward people with mental illness; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer became a figure on the national stage
17when she appeared before the Supreme Court in 1996 as part of
18the Jaffee vs. Redmond case to support privacy rights between
19therapists and patients; she was threatened with jail time for
20refusing to turn over her notes about counseling sessions with
21a Hoffman Estates police officer involved in a shooting; the
22Supreme Court ruled in favor of Beyer and the protection of

 

 

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1privacy rights; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer retired from the Ecker Center in 2019
3but continued working as a board member for the Elgin Area
4League of Women Voters and, most recently, as an appointee to
5the Township's new 708 Mental Health Board; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer spent her life helping people,
7especially those who don't often have the opportunity to get
8help; she leaves behind generations of individuals who she
9helped during her five decade career in social work and mental
10health advocacy; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer was strong, creative, and passionate,
12and her friends remember her as a warrior, a gentle soul, and a
13blessing; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer is survived by her husband of 15
15years, Joe Follrath; her daughter, Jennifer Beyer Zielinski;
16her stepchildren, Tim Follrath and Hollee Koszewski; and seven
17grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
19HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20we mourn the passing of Karen Beyer and extend our sincere
21condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved

 

 

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1her; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of Karen Beyer as an expression of our
4deepest sympathy.