Full Text of HR1209 98th General Assembly
HR1209 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives were saddened to learn of the passing of one of | 4 | | our oldest and dearest friends, Bill Luking, on June 12, 2014; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, William H. Luking was born on August 7, 1947 in | 7 | | Connersville, Indiana, the eldest of the 9 children of Lowell | 8 | | and Elizabeth McCarthy Luking; he graduated from Connersville | 9 | | High School in 1965, graduated cum laude from the University of | 10 | | Notre Dame in 1969, and graduated from Northwestern University | 11 | | Law School in 1972; he later served his country as a First | 12 | | Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Bill Luking was one of the Statehouse's most | 14 | | knowledgeable advocates; he was a wise expert who understood | 15 | | State, local, and federal law; he loved his work and its focus | 16 | | on complex issues involving taxation, economic development, | 17 | | public pensions, and mass transit; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Beginning in 1986 under the administration of | 19 | | Mayor Harold Washington, Bill Luking represented the City of | 20 | | Chicago with commitment and skill; he would go on to serve as a | 21 | | key advocate for the City for nearly 30 more years under Mayors | 22 | | Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Bill Luking's talents, skills, and vast knowledge | 2 | | helped him fight for millions of Chicagoans, conservationists, | 3 | | and nature lovers as he represented the Chicago Public Schools, | 4 | | the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Transit Authority, the | 5 | | City Colleges of Chicago, and - one of his favorites - the | 6 | | Chicago Botanic Garden; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In his years of distinguished service, Bill Luking | 8 | | was instrumental in the passage of some of the most significant | 9 | | laws affecting Chicago and its landscape, including the | 10 | | construction of the new Comiskey Park, now U.S. Cellular Field; | 11 | | the expansion of Soldier Field; the privatization of Midway | 12 | | Airport; strengthening the City's authority over its school | 13 | | system; and reforms that helped preserve the solvency of | 14 | | Chicago's pension system and the retirement security of | 15 | | countless numbers of municipal workers; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Bill Luking and his firm, Luking and Associates, | 17 | | L.L.C., were proud of their pro bono work on behalf of the | 18 | | Chicago Christian Industrial League, Tuesday's Child, the | 19 | | Howard Area Community Association, the Chicago Children's | 20 | | Advocacy Center, and the Southwest Youth Collaborative; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Bill Luking was regarded by his peers, whether | 22 | | advocating on the same side of an issue or in opposition to |
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| 1 | | him, as intelligent, forthright, and honest; he paved the way | 2 | | for legislative success for many generations of newcomers to | 3 | | the Capitol's corridors and his mastery of legislative history | 4 | | and arcane Supreme Court decisions made him a better reference | 5 | | source than Google; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Bill Luking was universally regarded as a | 7 | | gentleman and a scholar, as well as a man of warmth and humor; | 8 | | and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Bill Luking is survived by his siblings, Laura | 10 | | (Peter) Jamison, Meg Luking, Mary Anne Morris, Beth Luking, | 11 | | Gene (Debbie) Luking, Joe (Johnnie) Luking, Charlene (Larry) | 12 | | Wood, and Rosemary (Jay) Card; 13 nieces and nephews; 13 | 13 | | great-nieces and great-nephews; and his friend and companion, | 14 | | Claire Manning; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of | 18 | | Bill Luking; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the family of Bill Luking as a symbol of our deep | 21 | | sympathies and great esteem.
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