SR0347 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0347 LRB093 14876 KEF 40442 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois were saddened to learn of the death of Maureen Elizabeth McDonald of Chicago on October 17, 2003; and

WHEREAS, Ms. McDonald was born on August 8, 1946; she grew up in Morgan Park, on Chicago's southwest side, with her parents, Maurine and Matt, her brothers, Matt and Tom, and her sister, Winnie; and

WHEREAS, She attended Saint Cajetan Elementary School, Morgan Park High School, and Webster College in St. Louis, Missouri; during college, she began her political activism by joining Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his civil rights march to Selma, Alabama; and

WHEREAS, After college, she worked with the Contract Buyers League, a community organization in Lawndale on Chicago's west side that brought civil rights lawsuits on behalf of African-American homebuyers who were denied conventional mortgages; and

WHEREAS, Eventually, she gave in to her longing for adventure and yearning to travel and see the world; she headed to Australia and fell in love with the country and its people; she lived in the Northern Territory for seven years and had several diverse careers; she taught Aboriginal children, managed a hotel, promoted tourism, and visited every part of the country, collecting life-long friends throughout; and

WHEREAS, She returned to her home in Morgan Park, Chicago and tried her hand at many things; for the past twenty years, she worked for the Cook County Public Guardian's Office as a supervisor and a paralegal; she assisted in handling $60 million in assets for the office's 600 adult wards; her responsibilities included sorting out and then managing each ward's financial and legal needs; her care for her clients extended even past their deaths; she was adamant that each ward receive a dignified funeral and proper burial; and

WHEREAS, Besides working at the Public Guardian's Office, she would spend her evenings, weekends, and days off volunteering at homeless shelters, preparing holiday meals with the Little Brothers' Friends of the Elderly, and acting as a tour guide for the City of Chicago's "Greeters" Program; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her career, she continued to travel throughout the United States and all over the world; she was planning a trip next year to Antarctica and South America to accomplish her goal of visiting all seven continents; and

WHEREAS, She will be remembered as more than a paralegal at the Public Guardian's Office; she was a political activist, a volunteer, a book club moderator, a travel agent, a tourist, a funeral director, a fine diner, a theatre critic, an avid reader, a comedian, and a dear friend to many; and

WHEREAS, Maurine is survived by her mother, Maurine; her brothers, Matt and Tom; her sister, Winnie; and her niece, Maggie; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of Maureen Elizabeth McDonald along with all who knew and loved her and extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Maureen Elizabeth McDonald as an expression of our deepest sympathy.