SR0205LRB101 11477 ALS 57429 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Colonel Jill E. Morgenthaler of Mt.
4Prospect, who passed away on February 23, 2019; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler came from a military family
6that often moved around the country; her father was an officer
7in the United States Marine Corps who served in Vietnam, and
8she attended seven different schools before attending college
9at Penn State; she was one of 83 female cadets to arrive for
10boot camp at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina as the inaugural class
11of women in the U.S. Army in 1975; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler rose through the ranks and
13eventually became the first woman battalion commander in the
1488th Regional Support Command and later the first woman brigade
15commander in the 84th Division; in the 1980s, her military
16career took her to Germany and South Korea; in the 1990s, she
17was sent to Bosnia and Kosovo, where she earned a humanitarian
18service medal for helping to resettle Kosovar refugees; in
192004, she was awarded the Bronze Star after serving ten months
20in Iraq; upon retirement in 2006, she was awarded the Legion of
21Merit; and
 
22    WHEREAS, In her civilian capacity, Colonel Morgenthaler

 

 

SR0205- 2 -LRB101 11477 ALS 57429 r

1worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce and Software
2Publishing Corporation before moving to Illinois, where she
3worked in public affairs, community outreach, and as assistant
4division director and emergency response manager for Argonne
5National Laboratory for 14 years; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2005 under then Governor Rod Blagojevich,
7Colonel Morgenthaler became the first woman to serve as
8homeland security chief for Illinois; in 2008, she ran for
9public office as the Democratic challenger for the 6th
10Congressional District, in which she won 42 percent of the
11vote; during the campaign, she discovered her voice and
12realized how her story could motivate others; she went on to
13give keynote addresses and seminars on leadership; in 2014, she
14wrote The Courage to take Command: Leadership Lessons from A
15Military Trailblazer; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler was also president of the
17National Speakers Association Illinois and a member of the
18National Speakers Association and Toastmasters International;
19and
 
20    WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler and her husband Kerry moved
21to Des Plaines in 1991, where they raised their two children;
22after major floods near their neighborhood in 2008 and 2012,
23the couple moved to Mount Prospect; she was a member of St.

 

 

SR0205- 3 -LRB101 11477 ALS 57429 r

1Martin's Episcopal Church in Des Plaines, where she sang in the
2choir; she "devoted her life to helping others be all they can
3be," said U. S. Senator Tammy Duckworth; Senator Duckworth also
4stated, "she was a leader and decorated officer who knocked
5down barriers in the military and motivated a generation of
6women through her service and her inspirational speeches"; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler was the beloved wife of Kerry
8Chambers, the loving mother of Neal Warren Chambers and Jamie
9Joyce Chambers, the fond sister of Terry (Patrick Kerins)
10Morgenthaler, Jeffrey (Donna) Morgenthaler, and Sharon
11Morgenthaler, and the dear aunt of many nieces and nephews;
12therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
15Colonel Jill E. Morgenthaler and extend our sincere condolences
16to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be
17it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of Colonel Morgenthaler as an
20expression of our deepest sympathy.