SR0537 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0537 LRB097 16582 KXB 61754 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of former Mayor of Urbana Hiram Paley of Urbana, who passed away on January 9, 2012; and

WHEREAS, He was born in Rochester, New York, on September 9, 1933, he was the son of the late Lesser and Zelda Paley; after attending Monroe High School in Rochester, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rochester with a bachelor's degree in mathematics (1955); he followed with M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1956 and 1959; and

WHEREAS, He came to the University of Illinois in 1959 as an assistant professor of mathematics and was promoted to associate professor in 1966, a position he held until his retirement in 2003; from 1989 to 1991, he taught college math courses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities (MUCIA); and

WHEREAS, He served 2 terms as alderman on the Urbana City Council (1967-1973) and one term as mayor of Urbana (1973-1977); he was an active member of the local Democratic Party and was proud to serve as the chair of United States Senator Dick Durbin's Champaign County campaign in 1996, 2002, and 2008; he served terms on the boards of the Urban League of Champaign County and the CCDC Foundation in the 1980s, and on the board of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Champaign County (known formerly as the Champaign County Memorial Society) from 1986-2002, with a term as president from 2000-2002; and

WHEREAS, He was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) since 1960 and served multiple times as the Champaign Chapter representative to the Illinois ACLU, as well as on the ACLU's state board; in 2005, he received the Roger Baldwin Award of the Illinois ACLU for a lifetime of service to civil rights and civil liberties; and

WHEREAS, In 1981, following a course in darkroom photography at Parkland College, he joined the Champaign County Camera Club and was an active member, serving multiple terms as president; in 2004-2006, he served as president of the Central Illinois Camera Clubs Association; he was instrumental in organizing an annual community Best in Show photo competition; and

WHEREAS, He was a dedicated Illinois athletics fan, and he and his wife rarely missed a home men's basketball game; he also enjoyed attending events with his wife at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; and

WHEREAS, Hiram Paley is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jean Passovoy Paley; his son, Joshua (Suzanne); his daughters, Elizabeth (Stefan) and Nina; his grandchildren, Allison, Karen, Trevor, and Elias; his sister, Marcia (Morton) Camac; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Hiram Paley; and be it further

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