HR0742 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0742 LRB096 14880 KXB 29746 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Robert C. "Bob" Atherton of Palatine, who passed away on September 6, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Robert Atherton was born July 16, 1927, in Grand Rapids, Michigan; he graduated from the Senn High School in Chicago in 1945, but had attended Chicago's Sullivan High School for most of his high school years; during World War II, he served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1946; using the G.I. Bill, he received a degree in foreign trade from the Latin American Institute; the first languages he studied were Spanish, French, and Portuguese; and

WHEREAS, Following employment with the Malco Machinery Co., he embarked on a plan to build a business in Mexico; while that did not take-off, he utilized more than a year of bicycling over 7,000 miles to be well-acquainted with many European countries, as well as northwestern Africa; following that, he founded Raco Industrial Corp. in 1953 and Raco remains one of the most prominent machinery dealers in the United States today; and

WHEREAS, He also served as board member at all levels of the Machinery Dealers National Association, and was President from 1970 to 1972; he was also the first U.S. dealer to become a member of the then the Association of European Machine Tool Merchants (A.E.M.T.M.) (later, the European Association of Machine Tool Merchants (E.A.M.T.M.)) and was the first to be honored as a "Fellow" with the Europeans; and

WHEREAS, He was well-known for his outstanding, tireless dedication to his work, but also lived life and loved life to the fullest, traveling around the world five times, climbing over 230 mountains on six continents, and river rafting and boating on over 214 rivers of the earth; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents, Curry and Edith Atherton; and his sons, Robert David and Richard Hillary; and

WHEREAS, He is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Martha; and his son, John Curry Atherton; 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 Robert Atherton; and be it further

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