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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Antje Heberle Kolodziej of Champaign,
4who passed away on September 25, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej was born to Professor Rudolf
6Heberle and Franziska Toennies Heberle in Kiel, Germany on
7June 26, 1935; when she was three, she and her family emigrated
8from Germany to the United States to escape Hitler's Nazi
9regime; she grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; she graduated
10from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts in
111957, having spent a year studying abroad year in Germany to
12complete her degree in Political Science; she married Edward
13Kolodziej in 1959; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej moved to Chicago and worked as
15the associate director of a Ford Foundation adult program,
16where she promoted political education and discussions of the
17great books; after moving to Washington, D.C. with her
18husband, she assumed a post in the Department of Education as
19the associate director of a program to evaluate the academic
20credentials of Africans seeking admission to American colleges
21and universities; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej focused on her family after

 

 

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1moving to Charlottesville, Virginia in 1962, having four sons;
2they lived there for 11 years, with periodic moves in between
3due to her husband's career, including a stay in Columbus,
4Ohio in 1964; they later lived in Paris, France between 1968
5and 1978; while there, she was elected to head the
6parent-teacher association of the French public school two of
7her sons attended; and
 
8    WHEREAS, After her sons were grown, Antje Kolodziej helped
9administer the Illinois-Austrian student exchange program and
10worked as a research assistant for Jim Nolan at the Institute
11of Government; she also skillfully edited and vetted all of
12her husband's books, multiple professional articles, and book
13chapters contributed to academic volumes; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej was actively engaged in public
15service; she was the campaign manager for Joan Severns'
16successful election as mayor of Champaign; she was a key
17member of the parents association that successfully lobbied to
18save Uni High School from being dismantled by the University
19of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Education; she
20was instrumental in the election of a Champaign Council
21majority that supported the preservation of the art deco
22lights gracing many Champaign streets; she worked successfully
23with other community-minded Champaign residents to elect a
24visionary school board dedicated to saving Central High School

 

 

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1and to gain public approval for an unprecedented $183 million
2school bond issue to bring the physical educational
3infrastructure of the school system up to date; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej was honored by the League of
5Women Voters for 50 years of service, during which she served
6as secretary periodically; she was also awarded the Loyalty
7Service Award by Mt. Holyoke College in 2022; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej loved reading; she was a skilled
9potter and a regular attending member of her knitting group;
10along with her husband, she visited most of the countries of
11Western and Eastern Europe, including celebrating her 50th
12birthday in Moscow; they also traveled to the Middle East,
13Central and Latin America, South and East Asia, India, Japan,
14and China; she was passionate about music; each year, she
15looked forward to subscribing to the Krannert Center's annual
16music and drama series and to frequently attending Station
17Theatre's programs; she also enjoyed keeping a diary and the
18company of her constant feline companions; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej will be remembered for her broad
20smile, infectious laugh, disarming humor, and welcoming
21disposition; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej was preceded in death by her son,

 

 

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1Peter; her parents; and her brothers, Hinnerk and Jurgen; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Antje Kolodziej is survived by her husband of 63
3years, Edward; her sons, Andrew (Jeannette), Matthew (Rachel),
4and Daniel (Shanon); her grandchildren, Zachary, Aiden,
5Sander, Charlie, Peter, Alexandra, Katarina, Colin, and Quinn;
6her cousin, Moya; her nieces, Denise, Julie, Renee, and
7Lauren; and her nieces' children; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
9ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
10Antje Heberle Kolodziej and extend our sincere condolences to
11her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
12further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to the family of Antje Kolodziej as an expression of
15our deepest sympathy.