093_SR0337

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 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  Senate  of  the  State  of
 3    Illinois  learned  with regret of the passing of former State
 4    Senator Bernard S. Neistein on October 3, 2003; and

 5        WHEREAS, For  the  last  several  decades,  former  State
 6    Senator  Bernard  S.  Neistein  was  a colorful, even beloved
 7    figure  on  the  Chicago  scene   --   a   gravelly   voiced,
 8    cigar-chomping,  homburg hat-wearing old pol telling tales of
 9    political mud fights;  he  also  was  a  professional-quality
10    violinist and a contributor to several charities; and

11        WHEREAS,  Born  Bernard  S.  Neistein on the West Side of
12    Chicago on August 15, 1916, Senator Neistein lived  on  North
13    Lake  Shore  Drive  for  many  years,  but  his roots were in
14    Chicago's 29th Ward; his father was a Russian tailor who  had
15    a shop at Pulaski Road and Jackson Boulevard; and

16        WHEREAS,  Senator  Neistein  graduated from Marshall High
17    School in 1932  and  received  his  law  degree  from  DePaul
18    University Law School in 1937; he was the youngest DePaul Law
19    graduate  up  to that time; he later was a partner in the law
20    firm Neistein, Richman, Hauslinger and Young; and

21        WHEREAS, World War II interrupted his career and  Senator
22    Neistein  served  for  2-1/2 years in the U.S. Army in Europe
23    and was known for smuggling kosher salamies and sharing  them
24    with the troops; and

25        WHEREAS,  A  lifelong Democrat, Senator Neistein became a
26    precinct captain before he was eligible to  vote;  his  first
27    assignment  was  to  work the only Republican precinct in the
28    29th Ward; in a couple of  years,  the  vote  totals  favored
29    Democratic candidates by large majorities; and

30        WHEREAS,  Senator  Neistein  rose  through  the political
31    ranks and was the longtime  Democratic  committeeman  of  the
 
                            -2-      LRB093 13482 RAH 18807 r
 1    ward  before  stepping  aside  in  the  early  1970s; Senator
 2    Neistein was particularly proud of bringing  in  a  landslide
 3    vote  for  John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election;
 4    and

 5        WHEREAS, Senator Neistein became a bailiff  in  Municipal
 6    Court  in  1954;  he  was  elected  to  the Illinois House of
 7    Representatives in 1956 and served one term before moving  to
 8    the  Illinois  Senate; he was a state senator from 1959 until
 9    1973; and

10        WHEREAS, The passing of former State Senator  Bernard  S.
11    Neistein  has been deeply felt by all who knew and loved him,
12    especially his  daughter,  Evaly  Jerome;  his  sisters,  Ida
13    Berger  and Nettie Fishman; and his grandchildren; therefore,
14    be it

15        RESOLVED, BY  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL
16    ASSEMBLY  OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
17    all who knew him, the death of former State  Senator  Bernard
18    S.  Neistein;  he will be remembered as a very gregarious man
19    and a very warm,  funny,  generous,  and  loving  father  and
20    grandfather; and be it further

21        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
22    presented to the family of former State  Senator  Bernard  S.
23    Neistein with our sincerest condolences.