HR0078 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0078 LRB101 08178 ALS 53244 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Lynda DeLaforgue of Chicago, who passed away on January 12, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue was born in Chicago to James and June DeLaforgue on February 18, 1958; she was raised in Franklin Park; her father was a tuck pointer and a village firefighter, and her mother was employed in the business office of a local paper company; she graduated from Rockford College in 1980, where she majored in theater and was active in local community productions; in 1985, she married Hans Hintzen, and they settled in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood; they later divorced; and

WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue was working as an actress and looking for part-time work when she took a job fundraising for the relatively new Illinois Public Action Council; effective as a door-to-door canvasser and recruiter, she soon became the group's Rockford office manager and helped organize a voter registration drive leading up to the 1984 election; she then became the group's statewide canvass manager and helped set up similar canvass operations in other states; she also took an increasing role in the organization's issue work, especially around health policy and consumer protection; she was simultaneously involved in many progressive political campaigns and helped elect Paul Simon to the U.S. Senate in 1984, reelect Mayor Harold Washington in 1987, and send Jan Schakowsky to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1990; after the Illinois Public Action Council closed in 1997, she became the associate director of the newly constituted Citizen Action/Illinois; three years later she became its co-director, a position she held until her death; and

WHEREAS, Over the past two decades, Lynda DeLaforgue was the day-to-day driving force behind Citizen Action/Illinois and its work; she oversaw its finances while supervising and mentoring young staff members; she was a regular presence at Chicago City Hall and the Cook County Building, as well as in Springfield and in Washington, where she served on the board of Citizen Action's national federation; she was the chief strategist for many of the organization's biggest policy battles, including regulating predatory payday loans, ensuring food safety, opposing Social Security privatization, winning marriage equality, and ensuring the rights of consumers to affordable energy and health insurance; she was also at the helm of the Citizen Action's electoral efforts that registered new voters, turned out the vote, and rallied other progressives behind Barack Obama's run for the U.S. Senate in 2004; her efforts also helped elect many other progressive candidates, including Governor JB Pritzker; and

WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue had a wide variety of other interests; she was passionate about her garden, enjoyed combing estate sales for vintage clothing and jewelry, and traveled widely, frequently visiting her sister in Italy, and corresponding with distant relations in France; and

WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue is survived by her life partner, Brian Reizfeld; her mother, June Kaczur-Tate; her daughter, Katy; her son, Jordan; and her sister, Laura; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Lynda DeLaforgue and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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