SR0205 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0205 LRB101 11477 ALS 57429 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Colonel Jill E. Morgenthaler of Mt. Prospect, who passed away on February 23, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler came from a military family that often moved around the country; her father was an officer in the United States Marine Corps who served in Vietnam, and she attended seven different schools before attending college at Penn State; she was one of 83 female cadets to arrive for boot camp at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina as the inaugural class of women in the U.S. Army in 1975; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler rose through the ranks and eventually became the first woman battalion commander in the 88th Regional Support Command and later the first woman brigade commander in the 84th Division; in the 1980s, her military career took her to Germany and South Korea; in the 1990s, she was sent to Bosnia and Kosovo, where she earned a humanitarian service medal for helping to resettle Kosovar refugees; in 2004, she was awarded the Bronze Star after serving ten months in Iraq; upon retirement in 2006, she was awarded the Legion of Merit; and

WHEREAS, In her civilian capacity, Colonel Morgenthaler worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce and Software Publishing Corporation before moving to Illinois, where she worked in public affairs, community outreach, and as assistant division director and emergency response manager for Argonne National Laboratory for 14 years; and

WHEREAS, In 2005 under then Governor Rod Blagojevich, Colonel Morgenthaler became the first woman to serve as homeland security chief for Illinois; in 2008, she ran for public office as the Democratic challenger for the 6th Congressional District, in which she won 42 percent of the vote; during the campaign, she discovered her voice and realized how her story could motivate others; she went on to give keynote addresses and seminars on leadership; in 2014, she wrote The Courage to take Command: Leadership Lessons from A Military Trailblazer; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler was also president of the National Speakers Association Illinois and a member of the National Speakers Association and Toastmasters International; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler and her husband Kerry moved to Des Plaines in 1991, where they raised their two children; after major floods near their neighborhood in 2008 and 2012, the couple moved to Mount Prospect; she was a member of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Des Plaines, where she sang in the choir; she "devoted her life to helping others be all they can be," said U. S. Senator Tammy Duckworth; Senator Duckworth also stated, "she was a leader and decorated officer who knocked down barriers in the military and motivated a generation of women through her service and her inspirational speeches"; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Morgenthaler was the beloved wife of Kerry Chambers, the loving mother of Neal Warren Chambers and Jamie Joyce Chambers, the fond sister of Terry (Patrick Kerins) Morgenthaler, Jeffrey (Donna) Morgenthaler, and Sharon Morgenthaler, and the dear aunt of many nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Colonel Jill E. Morgenthaler 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 Colonel Morgenthaler as an expression of our deepest sympathy.