HR0829 LRB093 21313 HSS 48625 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Lifelong southwest Rockford resident and tireless
3 civic servant Frank George St. Angel of Rockford passed away on
4 March 28, 2003; he was born June 10, 1921 in Rockford, the son
5 of Jasper and Giacomina St. Angel; he married Constance Monica
6 Achilli on April 19, 1958; Frank earned a B.A. in history in
7 1943 from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in
8 international relations in 1949 from the University of Chicago;
9 he served in the China-Burma-India Theater during WWII, earning
10 the U.S. Army Bronze Star Medal for exceptional duty in
11 developing a key counterintelligence strategy for use against
12 the Japanese armed forces; Frank continued to serve his country
13 in the U.S. Army Reserves for many years after the war until
14 eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel; after his father's
15 death, Frank took over his role as a leader of Rockford's
16 Italian-American community and the real estate and insurance
17 business he started in 1910; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Frank continually sought out opportunities to
19 serve and better the community; in 1956, he served as Chairman
20 of the Rockford Civil Service Commission and in 1960 he was
21 Chairman of the Rockford Human Relations Commission; he was a
22 member of the city zoning Board of Appeals, and he served from
23 1961 to 1967 on the Rockford Board of Education; Frank was
24 Chairman of the U.S. Bicentennial Commission for Winnebago
25 County; in 1975, he was Co-Chairman of the Greater Rockford
26 Columbus Day Committee; between 1961 and 1978, he served on the
27 Winnebago County Board, serving as Chairman from 1974 to 1978
28 and was honored for leadership in striving for high ideals and
29 progressive reform; from 1981 to 1999, Frank served as a
30 member, vice-president, and president of the Rock River Water
31 Reclamation District Board of Trustees; he held leadership
32 positions in the American Red Cross, the American Cancer
33 Society, the United Way, Crime Stoppers of Rockford, the
34 Rockford Park District, the Winnebago County and Rockford

 

 

HR0829 - 2 - LRB093 21313 HSS 48625 r

1 Action Committees, the Illinois Youth Commission, the Rockford
2 Public Library Foundation, the Rockford College Board of
3 Counselors, and the Rockford Board of Realtors; he was
4 president of the Southside Community Projects Association and
5 an organizer and first chairman of the Head Start Program in
6 Rockford; and
 
7     WHEREAS, In 1978, Frank was awarded, by command of the
8 President of Italy, the title of Cavaliere (or Knight) and was
9 inducted into the Italian Order of the Star of Solidarity; the
10 Italian Consulate General presented Frank with this honor for
11 distinguished community service and acting pro-bono ombudsman
12 in efforts to reunite the families of post-WWII Italian
13 immigrants in Rockford; Frank served as the President of
14 Rockford Vigo Lodge Order Sons of Italy, received the Italian
15 Folk Art Federation Award in 1995, and was named
16 Italian-American Father of the Year in 1997; and
 
17     WHEREAS, A lifelong member of St. Anthony Church and nephew
18 to founder, Father Anthony Marchesano, Frank served as Lector,
19 Usher, President of the Parish Council, and, in 1954, the
20 President of the Holy Name Society; he also was a Trustee of
21 the church, an Extraordinary Minister, and a member of the
22 Knights of Columbus; and
 
23     WHEREAS, For his exceptional civic service, he received
24 many awards, including the City of Rockford Citizen of the Year
25 Award, the University of Chicago's Distinguished Public
26 Service Award in 1983, and the Rotary Club Service Above Self
27 Award; in 2002, the Mayor of Rockford named him a Rockford
28 Sesquicentennial Futurist; therefore, be it
 
29     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
30 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
31 recognize Frank G. St. Angel for his many achievements during
32 his lifetime and his work to make Rockford a better place; and

 

 

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1 be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3 presented to Frank's widow, Constance M. St. Angel, as an
4 expression of our esteem.