SR0760 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0760 LRB102 24586 MST 33820 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Bennett C. Weaver of Oak Park, who passed away on July 14, 2021 at the age of 80; and

WHEREAS, Bennett Weaver was born to J. Clark and Inez Koegel Weaver in Denton, Texas on November 9, 1940; he was raised in Denton, Texas and Gainesville, Florida; and

WHEREAS, At five years old, Bennett Weaver was introduced to the cello at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where his parents also ran a summer theater program; he was revealed to be a musical genius; and

WHEREAS, Bennett Weaver joined the University of Florida Symphony Orchestra as a middle schooler; by freshman year of high school, he was already promoted to first chair; and

WHEREAS, Bennett Weaver began his post-secondary studies at Swarthmore College of Pennsylvania on a music scholarship; he later transferred to the University of Florida at Gainesville to study physics; he continued to practice cello and ultimately met his first wife, Donna Harpold; the two married in Bradenton, Florida in 1964; and

WHEREAS, Bennett Weaver's first daughter, Amy, was born in 1966 in Gainesville; shortly thereafter, the family moved to Illinois so that both parents could pursue careers at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago; his second daughter, Susan, was born in Oak Park in 1970; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in the late 1960s, Bennett Weaver assumed professional roles as an actuary and analyst; he was employed by CNA Insurance and retired from Harris Bank in 2001; during retirement, he also worked as a consultant and family genealogist; and

WHEREAS, Through a 1980s purchase of an IBM PC for his home, Bennett Weaver discovered a second natural talent for building and upgrading computers; in 1983, he became a founding member of the Association of Personal Computer Users (APCU); he also joined the Chicago Area Database Users Group (CADBUG); he held leadership roles in both organizations; and

WHEREAS, Bennett Weaver had a knack for explaining complex ideas in simple terms to his daughters, such as moon phases and lunar eclipses; for several years, he served as their Girl Scout cookie salesman; and

WHEREAS, Bennett Weaver is survived by his companion, Cheryl McNamara; his friend and former wife, Donna Weaver; and his daughters, Amy Weaver and Susan (Russ) Northrup; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Bennett C. Weaver and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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