HR0355 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0355 LRB096 12650 KXB 26136 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Joseph P. Burke of Orland Park, who passed away May 1, 2009; and

WHEREAS, He was born in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood; he graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice and earned a Master's degree in criminal justice from Lewis University; and

WHEREAS, He met his wife of 34 years, Laura, in high school, and the couple lived on the city's Southwest side for several years before moving to Orland Park; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Burke joined the Chicago Police Department in the early 1970s; in addition to working on the DEA and FBI task forces, he was also assigned to the cold case squad toward the end of his career; after retiring from the Chicago Police Department, he went to work for the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2003, where his most recent position was chief of investigations and intelligence; and

WHEREAS, During his distinguished 30-year career with the Chicago Police Department, he worked on task forces with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI's anti-terrorism unit, an assignment that took him to Oklahoma City in the aftermath of the federal building bombing; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Burke was a drummer, longtime member, and past president of the Bagpipes and Drums of the Emerald Society of the Chicago Police Department, a charitable organization formed to honor police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Burke was the beloved husband of Laura J. (nee Gleason); the loving father of Erin and Claire; the devoted son of the late Joseph P. and Ann (nee Dolan); the dear brother of Chicago Alderman Edward M. (Justice Anne M. Burke) Burke and Illinois State Representative Daniel Burke; and the loving uncle of many nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Joseph Burke; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Joseph Burke as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.