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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of former Illinois State Representative
4James Richard "Jim" Reilly Jr., who passed away on April 4,
52022; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly was born in Springfield to James and
7Alta Reilly on January 31, 1945; he graduated from Springfield
8High School and received his Bachelor of Science from Illinois
9College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago,
10where he was Phi Beta Kappa; he married M. Veronica Lynch in
11Saugatuck, Michigan in 1991; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly practiced law with the firm of
13Foreman, Rammelkamp, Bradney and Hall in Jacksonville and
14served as the Jacksonville City Attorney; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly was elected to the Illinois House of
16Representatives, representing Jacksonville and west central
17Illinois; he served for three terms over six years from 1977
18until 1983 and had numerous accomplishments in the area of
19child welfare and protection; he chaired the Illinois
20Education and State Government Committees and the Committee on
21Appropriations; he was chief sponsor of the Illinois Human
22Rights Act and Emergency Medical Services Act and championed

 

 

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1reform for the Regional Transportation Authority; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly served as the chief executive officer
3of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), the
4agency that owns McCormick Place, the nation's largest
5convention center, and Navy Pier, Illinois' top tourist and
6leisure destination; he most recently served as a trustee of
7the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and as a life
8trustee of Navy Pier's Board of Directors; he oversaw the
9development and complete renovation of Navy Pier and the
10expansion of McCormick Place; under his leadership as trustee
11for the MPEA, historic measures were enacted to ensure the
12economic vitality of McCormick Place and Navy Pier; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly's professional experiences included
14serving as chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority,
15chief executive officer of the Chicago Convention and Tourism
16Bureau, and chairman of the board of the Illinois Capital
17Development Board; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly supported numerous organizations,
19including Navy Pier, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Mercy
20Hospital, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Choose
21Chicago, the Jacksonville Area Association of Citizens with
22Intellectual Disability, the Jacksonville Theater Guild,
23Illinois College, the Edgar Fellows Program, and Chicago's

 

 

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1culture and arts community; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly's favorite pastimes included trains,
3both real and models, and he showcased them for his many nieces
4and nephews during the holiday gatherings; he traveled
5extensively, both overseas and throughout the United States;
6his visits to Europe were frequent, and he enjoyed calling the
7British Island of Tortola a second home; he particularly
8appreciated Vienna, Taiwan, Venice, Kenya, and Paris; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly had a passion for the arts; his
10support of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony
11Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra reflected
12this and were surpassed only by his commitment and dedication
13to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater; he was an avid fan of the
14Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls, although his years spent in
15downstate Illinois led to the St. Louis Cardinals becoming his
16favorite baseball team; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly was preceded in death by his parents;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Rep. Reilly is survived by his wife of 30 years,
20Veronica; an aunt; many cherished cousins, brothers, and
21sisters-in-law; and numerous nieces, nephews, and their
22spouses; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
3former Illinois State Representative James Richard "Jim"
4Reilly Jr. and extend our sincere condolences to his family,
5friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the family of Rep. Reilly as an expression of our
8deepest sympathy.