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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Robert Kirchner of Urbana, who passed
4away on April 17, 2011; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Robert Kirchner was born on June 23, 1956, in
6Joliet; his parents were Robert and Margaret (Keyser) Kirchner;
7he grew up in New Lenox; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Robert Kirchner attended Western Illinois
9University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy
10and political science in 1976 and his master's degree in
11political science in 1977; while attending WIU, he met his
12future wife, Gerri; they married on August 25, 1979, in Park
13Ridge; Bob and Gerri began their marriage in Urbana, where he
14attended the University of Illinois College of Law, and earned
15his law degree in 1982; and
 
16    WHEREAS, After earning his law degree, Robert Kirchner
17joined the Champaign law practice of Burt Greaves and Art
18Lerner, which became Greaves, Lerner and Kirchner, and later,
19Lerner and Kirchner; in 2002, he opened his own law office in
20Champaign and was later joined by attorney Ruth Wyman; as a
21highly skilled trial lawyer, he was an intelligent advocate for
22his clients and was known for his dedication to the law; he was

 

 

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1diligent in his research and his knowledge of the law was the
2foundation of his legal abilities; during his career, he argued
3many cases before the appellate courts and the Illinois Supreme
4Court, winning several cases that established legal
5precedents; he was well known among his peers as a champion of
6numerous legal causes that other attorneys would not take on;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Robert Kirchner's interest in the law prompted him
9to run as a Democratic candidate for Illinois State
10Representative in 1996; despite losing the election, his
11campaign engaged public participation by hosting a series of
12monthly symposiums on key issues impacting state legislation,
13including education funding, crime, drug abuse and gun control,
14child welfare, women's rights, health care, employment laws,
15and campaign finance reform; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Robert Kirchner served on the Champaign County
17Board as the District 9 representative, appointed in 2001 and
18elected in 2002 to a 2-year term; as a member of the board's
19Democratic majority, he voted to pass laws to guarantee a
20living wage for all full-time county employees, prohibit
21employment discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or
22sexual orientation, and establish free dental care for
23low-income children; he served as chair of the county nursing
24home sub-committee and worked on the successful passage of the

 

 

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1referendum proposal to fund its construction; he ran for
2election to the county board again in 2006, in which he lost a
3closely contested Democratic primary; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Robert Kirchner served as Vice President of the
5Champaign County Bar Association from 1994 to 1995; in 1994, he
6helped establish Best Interest of Children, a local non-profit
7organization dedicated to child and family advocacy, and served
8on the organization's board; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Robert Kirchner is survived by his wife of 32
10years, Gerri; his sisters, Marlene (Dennis) Gallagher and
11Lorrie (Robert) Chaplin; his brothers, John (Carol) Burkhart,
12Ron (Laura) Kirchner, and David Kirchner; his brother-in-law,
13Paul (Sue) Geissler; his sister-in-law, Shelly (Paul) Kotecki;
14his 4 nephews; and his 7 nieces; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
17his family and friends, the passing of Robert Kirchner; and be
18it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to the family of Robert Kirchner as an expression of
21our sympathy.