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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Robert "Bob" Emmett McGrath of New
4Jersey, who passed away on December 4, 2022 at the age of 90;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath was born in Ottawa, Illinois on June
713, 1932 to Edmund Thomas McGrath and Flora Agnes (Halligan)
8McGrath; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath's father, Edmund, was a farmer; his
10mother, Flora, who sang and played piano, recognized his
11impressive singing voice by age five; as such, he began
12entering and winning competitions in Chicago and was featured
13on the radio as well; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath changed his educational and
15professional plans after attending a Chicagoland summer music
16camp once he graduated from high school; when he became a
17college student, he chose to major in voice over engineering;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Upon graduation from the University of Michigan
20in 1954, Bob McGrath served for two years in the United States
21Army; he was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath incorporated his passion for music
2into his Armed Services experience by joining the Seventh Army
3Symphony; he moved to New York City once this call to duty
4ended; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath met his future wife, Ann Logan
6Sperry, on his first day in the Big Apple; he later earned a
7master's degree in music from the Manhattan School; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath became one of 25 male singers that
9starred in the Sing Along with Mitch television show in 1961;
10prior to this casting, he taught at the St. David's private
11boys' school in Manhattan and performed as a freelance artist;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath was promoted as the feature male
14soloist on Sing Along with Mitch after the host, Mitch Miller,
15listened to his rendition of Mother Machree; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath embarked on an international group
17tour, including 30 performances in Japan, after the show's
18final episode; before long, he developed a Japanese fan base,
19which led to the recording of nine albums in the country on
20Columbia Records' Japanese label, Nippon Columbia; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath transitioned to regular performances
2for a younger audience by joining the debut cast of Sesame
3Street in 1969; art imitated life in that his character was a
4human music teacher named Bob; he was a mainstay on the show
5for nearly 50 years, or 47 seasons; he was also a part of
6longer Sesame Street productions, such as Elmo Saves
7Christmas, Follow that Bird, and A Special Sesame Street
8Christmas; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath was known for his overt acts of
10kindness and accommodation for his co-performers; for example,
11he learned American Sign Language to better communicate with a
12fellow actor who was born deaf; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath continued to participate in public
14Sesame Street-related events after his 2017 departure; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Bob McGrath is survived by his wife, Ann; his
16children, Cathlin, Liam, Robert, and Lily McGrath and Alison
17McGrath Osder; his older sister, Eileen Strobel; and his eight
18grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
21Robert "Bob" Emmett McGrath and extend our sincere condolences
22to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be

 

 

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1it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of Robert "Bob" Emmett McGrath as an
4expression of our deepest sympathy.