HR0054 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0054 LRB097 06214 GRL 46933 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Edmund J. "Eddie" O'Connor of Lake Forest, who passed away on January 17, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Eddie O'Connor was born in 1925 and raised on the west side of Chicago; his father, William, was a Chicago policeman who originally hailed from Limerick, Ireland and his mother, Elizabeth, was from County Cork, Ireland; he worked his way through school as both an Andy Frain usher at Chicago sporting events and as a conductor on the elevated train system; he attended St. Ignatius College Prep before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, where he served as a tail gunner on a dive bomber in the Pacific Theatre during World War II; he later attended DePaul University as an undergraduate and law student on the G.I. Bill; and

WHEREAS, Eddie O'Connor, along with his late brother, William "Billy" O'Connor, traded agricultural commodities at the Chicago Board of Trade ("CBOT") and started the O'Connor and Company clearing firm in 1959; Eddie and Billy O'Connor played key roles in the management of the CBOT for many decades and backed hundreds of local traders; and

WHEREAS, Eddie O'Connor was the driving force behind the creation of the Chicago Board Options Exchange ("CBOE") in 1973; the CBOE helped transform Chicago and the State of Illinois into a global trading center on par with New York, London, and Hong Kong; it was Eddie O'Connor's vision that made the CBOE a reality; and

WHEREAS, Eddie O'Connor was the beloved husband of the late Patricia O'Connor, nee Hoskins; and

WHEREAS, Eddie O'Connor was the loving father of Dan O'Connor, Chris (Roger) Lane, Patti (Michael) Mergener, Matthew (Trish) O'Connor, and Marty (Maureen) O'Connor; the dear grandfather of Kaitlin, Will, and Madeline O'Connor, Amy and Corry Lane, Jeremiah and Izzy Mergener, and Ned, Bridget, and Murphy O'Connor; he is also survived by his many nieces and nephews; his trusted family friend, Maria Diaz; and his many friends at Bob O'Link Golf Club; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Edmund O'Connor; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Edmund O'Connor as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.