HR0426 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0426 LRB102 19628 ECR 28400 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Sondra Regina Gash of Maplewood, New Jersey, who passed away on July 18, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1934; she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania; she met Ira Gash when they both worked at the New Jersey Rehabilitation Commission in Newark, and they married in 1958; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was a poet, a writer, an intuitive and insightful teacher, and a compassionate mentor to countless poets and writers; she taught writing skills at Rutgers University and coordinated the poetry program at the Women's Resource Center in Summit, New Jersey, and her home in Tewksbury was the site of many lively poetry readings; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was a board member of the American Labor Museum, which was founded by her father, Sol Stetin, who was the International President of the Textile Workers Union of America; she was active with the Americans for Democratic Action and the local Fair Housing Committee; her activism led her to become a Democratic Party representative for her area later in life; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was the author of Silk Elegy, a collection of linked poems about a young girl from an immigrant family whose life is disrupted by her mother's illness, and Suit and Dress, a semi-autobiographical poetry collection about the emotional spheres of work and home; her poems and articles have appeared in many publications, including Poets and Writers, The New York Times, Paterson Literary Review, Calyx, and US 1 Worksheets; her play What Knife is Sharp Enough, co-authored with Carol Goodman, had a staged reading in Manassas, Virginia with Upstart Crow Productions; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was a finalist for the 2003 Paterson Poetry Prize and was a recipient of fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Corporation of Yaddo, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts; she was awarded a grant in Creative Writing from the Puffin Foundation; she was a featured reader and teacher at the Dodge Poetry Festival in Waterloo, New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash will be remembered for her passion for social justice and her love of travel, jazz, food, and family; and

WHEREAS, Sondra Gash is survived by her husband of 63 years, Dr. Ira Gash; her sister, Myra Levine; her daughters, Lauren Beth Gash (Gregg Garmisa) and Amy Gash (Stephen Churchville); and her grandchildren, Sarah Gash Garmisa, Ben Gash Garmisa, and Nick Becker; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Sondra Regina Gash 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 Sondra Gash as an expression of our deepest sympathy.