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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
3 | to learn of the death of Virginia "Ginie" Cassin, who passed | ||||||
4 | away on October 16, 2020 at the age of 96; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Ginie Cassin was born on April 13, 1924 in | ||||||
6 | Beloit, Wisconsin; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Ginie Cassin's family moved to Oak Park when she | ||||||
8 | was three years old; she graduated from Oak Park and River | ||||||
9 | Forest High School in 1942; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Early in life, Ginie Cassin discovered a passion | ||||||
11 | for civic engagement, including protest; in the 1960s, her | ||||||
12 | fair housing policy activism was instrumental to the May 6, | ||||||
13 | 1968 passage and implementation of Oak Park's landmark fair | ||||||
14 | housing ordinance; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Ginie Cassin brought those learned experiences | ||||||
16 | and accomplishments with her when she was elected as the first | ||||||
17 | female village clerk of Oak Park in 1973; as a formal elected | ||||||
18 | official, she played an indispensable role in creating the | ||||||
19 | village's first liquor ordinance in March of 1973 and another | ||||||
20 | ordinance that granted a franchise to Cablevision in April | ||||||
21 | 1979; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Ginie Cassin's tenure as village clerk lasted | ||||||
2 | until 1993; during those 20 years, she mentored subsequent | ||||||
3 | village clerks Sandra Sokol, Teresa Powell, and Vicki Scaman, | ||||||
4 | who is the current Oak Park village president; and
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5 | WHEREAS, In retirement, Ginie Cassin remained engaged with | ||||||
6 | Oak Park politics; she regularly invited local female leaders | ||||||
7 | to her home where they discussed current events over | ||||||
8 | breakfast; she maintained memberships in numerous | ||||||
9 | organizations, such as the League of Women Voters and the | ||||||
10 | Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Ginie Cassin's post-retirement years included a | ||||||
12 | time as board chair for the Ernest Hemingway Foundation; | ||||||
13 | through this, she cemented the author's legacy by establishing | ||||||
14 | an Oak Park museum that bore his name; she even curated | ||||||
15 | exhibition items for the Hemingway home museum; and
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16 | WHEREAS, On July 9, 2018, the Oak Park Village Board | ||||||
17 | approved a resolution to honor Ginie Cassin and her | ||||||
18 | contributions to the community; during the ceremony, Illinois | ||||||
19 | State Senator Don Harmon, now the Illinois Senate President, | ||||||
20 | also presented her with a proclamation stating that the | ||||||
21 | Illinois General Assembly had recognized the week as "Virginia | ||||||
22 | Cassin Week" in Oak Park; and
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1 | WHEREAS, In her personal and professional lives, Ginie | ||||||
2 | Cassin lived by her motto "I can do that" and was known for her | ||||||
3 | friendly nature, bright smile, and ceaseless energy; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Ginie Cassin was preceded in death by her husband | ||||||
5 | and high school sweetheart, Bill Cassin; and
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6 | WHEREAS, At the time of her death, Ginie Cassin was | ||||||
7 | survived by her children, Michael (Barbara) Cassin, Patricia | ||||||
8 | Cassin, Sharon Cassin Frame, Sheila (Rick) McLaughlin, Timothy | ||||||
9 | (Marcia) Cassin, Sean Cassin, Brian (Donna) Cassin, and Kieran | ||||||
10 | (Jeri) Cassin; her 18 grandchildren; and her 26 | ||||||
11 | great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
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12 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
13 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
14 | Virginia "Ginie" Cassin, and extend our sincere condolences to | ||||||
15 | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
16 | further
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17 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
18 | presented to the family of Virginia Cassin as an expression of | ||||||
19 | our deepest sympathy.
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