HR1528 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1528 LRB096 24482 GRL 44263 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Ivan D. Thunder of Grayslake, who passed away on October 29, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Ivan Thunder was born in Oakland, California on September 28, 1913; his parents were the late James and Gertrude Thunder; he attended Loyola Academy, graduating in 1932, and was the only one of his siblings to attend college; during the Great Depression, he worked his way for 5 years through the 4-year program at Armour Tech (now the Illinois Institute of Technology), graduating in 1937; he subsequently became a civil engineer; and

WHEREAS, Ivan Thunder served his country with pride and distinction; when the United States entered World War II, Mr. Thunder was working at the Panama Canal; he later joined the United States Navy and was a lieutenant junior grade with the 133rd Naval Construction Battalion (SeaBees) of the 4th Marine Division; he landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day + 1; during World War II, Mr. Thunder was the commander of the first ship to make a successful landing at Iwo Jima and risked his life to extricate the ship from a chain that fouled the boat; and

WHEREAS, Ivan Thunder was a member of the American Society of Engineers; as a structural engineer, he helped to build America, constructing roads, bridges, dams, power plants, and steel-making plants; later in life, he began communicating in detail about his war experience; he spoke to students at every level, including Navy ROTC students at Notre Dame in April of 2007; he wrote a book about his life up to the day he landed at Iwo Jima ("Her Last Letter" under the pseudonym Michael Dalton) and wrote a second book about Iwo Jima and the Pacific War; and

WHEREAS, Ivan Thunder was a member of St. Gilbert Catholic Church in Grayslake and Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge; and

WHEREAS, Ivan Thunder was preceded in death by his cherished wife of 61 years, Rosemary; and

WHEREAS, Ivan Thunder was the loving father of Rosemary (James) Schwoebel, Maureen (Dennis) Brebner, James (Ann Gerby) Thunder, Tom (Linda Craig) Thunder, Anita (Richard) Rotchstein, Diane (John) Schlosser, and Sheila (Gerard) Zygmunt; the proud grandfather of 26; and the great-grandfather of 15; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Ivan D. Thunder; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Ivan Thunder as an expression of our sympathy.