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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
| 3 | learn of the death of Captain Chancellor Alfonso "Pete" Tzomes | ||||||
| 4 | of Milan, who passed away on June 13, 2019; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Captain Tzomes was born in Williamsport, | ||||||
| 6 | Pennsylvania on December 30, 1944; he was raised by James C. | ||||||
| 7 | and Charlotte E. (Hill) Tzomes; he married Carolyn Eason in | ||||||
| 8 | Rock Island on July 14, 2007; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Captain Tzomes graduated from the United States | ||||||
| 10 | Naval Academy in 1967; he had sea duty assignments on five | ||||||
| 11 | nuclear-powered submarines; in May 1983, he made history by | ||||||
| 12 | becoming the first African American to command a U.S. submarine | ||||||
| 13 | during a change of command ceremony aboard the USS Houston; he | ||||||
| 14 | also had the pleasure of being assigned as Commanding Officer, | ||||||
| 15 | Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes from June 1990 until June | ||||||
| 16 | 1992; he served as a member of the Pacific Fleet Nuclear | ||||||
| 17 | Propulsion Examining Board, as a Force Operations Officer on | ||||||
| 18 | the staff of Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, | ||||||
| 19 | and as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations/Inspector | ||||||
| 20 | General at the Naval base in Charleston, South Carolina, from | ||||||
| 21 | which he retired in 1994; and
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| 22 | WHEREAS, Captain Tzomes was proud of the recognition he | ||||||
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| 1 | received for his achievements while serving as the Director in | ||||||
| 2 | the Equal Opportunity Division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel | ||||||
| 3 | and as the personal advisor to the Chief of Naval Personnel on | ||||||
| 4 | equal opportunity issues; in 1991, he received the Black | ||||||
| 5 | Engineer of the Year Award for his efforts in paving the path | ||||||
| 6 | for leading the Navy's equal opportunity programs into the 21st | ||||||
| 7 | century; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, After departing the Navy, Captain Tzomes served as | ||||||
| 9 | a Vice President at Bank One for one year; he then worked as a | ||||||
| 10 | utility manager in the nuclear division of Exelon Corporation, | ||||||
| 11 | where he held various leadership positions while primarily | ||||||
| 12 | assigned to the Quad Cities Generating Station, until July of | ||||||
| 13 | 2012; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Captain Tzomes continued to keep abreast of Navy | ||||||
| 15 | and military issues through his affiliation with the Naval | ||||||
| 16 | Submarine League, the U.S. Naval Institute, the United States | ||||||
| 17 | Submarine Veterans, the Navy League, the Military Officers | ||||||
| 18 | Association, and the American Legion; he was also a member of | ||||||
| 19 | the NAACP and supported the USO; as a career submarine officer, | ||||||
| 20 | he was proud of his service; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Captain Tzomes is survived by his wife of 12 | ||||||
| 22 | years, Carolyn Eason-Tzomes; his son and granddaughter from a | ||||||
| 23 | previous marriage, Chancellor A. Tzomes II and Mariana Tzomes; | ||||||
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| 1 | and his many other family members and friends; therefore, be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
| 3 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
| 4 | Captain Chancellor Alfonso "Pete" Tzomes and extend our sincere | ||||||
| 5 | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | ||||||
| 6 | him; and be it further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to the family of Captain Pete Tzomes as an expression | ||||||
| 9 | of our deepest sympathy.
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