[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
92_SR0295
LRB9213737RHrh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 express their sincere condolences to the family and friends
4 of Jane Gidwitz, a devoted supporter of the arts in Chicago
5 and a longtime board member of the Steppenwolf Theatre
6 Company, who passed away on December 4, 2001; and
7 WHEREAS, Jane Louise Blumenthal was born in Philadelphia
8 to Jacob and Jeanette Blumenthal; her family ran a well-
9 known chocolate business that invented such popular products
10 as Raisinettes and Goobers; and
11 WHEREAS, Mrs. Gidwitz attended Sophie Newcomb College in
12 New Orleans, where she studied liberal arts; after returning
13 to Philadelphia, she met her future husband, Gerald, on a
14 blind date in 1943 while he was in town on a sales trip for
15 Helene Curtis; they were married in 1944; and
16 WHEREAS, While her children were young, Mrs. Gidwitz
17 devoted most of her time to raising them, but she was also
18 active in the Ravinia Association in Highland Park; as her
19 children grew up, she dedicated more time to supporting the
20 arts and culture; and
21 WHEREAS, Mrs. Gidwitz served on committees at the Art
22 Institute and the Field Museum and was a longtime member of
23 the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Society; she was also a member
24 of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society and the University of
25 Chicago women's board, and she chaired several charity
26 events, including the Medical Research Institute Council's
27 Crystal Ball for Michael Reese Hospital; and
28 WHEREAS, Mrs. Gidwitz devoted herself most passionately
29 to a small theater troupe that got its start in a church
30 basement; in Steppenwolf's early days, Mrs. Gidwitz became a
31 great fan of the edgy, sometimes wild company; in 1986, after
-2- LRB9213737RHrh
1 years of attending its plays, Mrs. Gidwitz joined the board
2 of directors, and two years later, with the company
3 performing in a converted dairy and financing falling apart
4 for construction of a real theater, Mrs. Gidwitz helped
5 convince the company it could raise the funds for a new
6 building and in 1991 the new Steppenwolf Theatre opened at
7 1650 N. Halsted St.; and
8 WHEREAS, The passing of Jane Gidwitz will be deeply felt
9 by all who knew and loved her, especially her husband, Gerald
10 Gidwitz; her sons, Ronald, James, Peter and Thomas Gidwitz;
11 her daughter, Nancy; and her nine grandchildren; therefore,
12 be it
13 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
14 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
15 all who knew her, the death of Jane Gidwitz of Chicago,
16 Illinois; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to the family of Jane Gidwitz with our sincere
19 condolences.