SR0621 LRB095 20626 GRL 48766 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Dr. Walter J. Hickey of Alton, who passed
4 away on March 24, 2008; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey was born on December 18, 1948
6 in Alton; he was son of John J. and Mary Margaret (Gibbons)
7 Hickey; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey proudly served his country in
9 the United States Army in Germany during the Vietnam Conflict;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Following his stint in the United States Army, Dr.
12 Walter J. Hickey returned home and earned his bachelor's degree
13 from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville; he then
14 began working in public relations and advertising in Chicago,
15 working at firms such as Carl Byior and Associates and the
16 Pacific Federation of Chicago; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Following a 20 year career in corporate public
18 relations at SBC, Dr. Walter J. Hickey fulfilled his lifelong
19 goal by returning to higher education, justifying the faith
20 placed in him by several early mentors, including Drs. Nicholas
21 Joost, Fred Robbins, and John McCluskey; he earned his master's

 

 

SR0621 - 2 - LRB095 20626 GRL 48766 r

1 degree in literature from Southern Illinois University in
2 Edwardsville and successfully defended his dissertation at
3 Saint Louis University in 2006; after defending his
4 dissertation, he was conferred a Ph.D. in British Literature;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey read and wrote prodigiously
7 throughout his entire life, publishing and winning awards for
8 his short fiction and poetry; he was featured in journals such
9 as the Sou'wester, Prairie Light Review, and the Atlantic
10 Monthly; he also presented papers on pedagogy and literature at
11 the National Conferences of the MLA and the Community College
12 Humanities Association; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey attended the St. Mary's
14 Catholic Church in Alton; he was a member of the Appearance
15 Review Commission in Alton, the Hibernians, Phi Beta Kappa, the
16 NAACP, and the Madison County Urban League; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Dr. Walter J. Hickey is survived by his daughters,
18 Nora C. Hickey and Mary Margaret "Maggie" Hickey; his son,
19 Morgan John Hickey; his grandson, Conor J. Hickey; his siblings
20 and their spouses, Ralpha and Randy Hausmann, Kathleen Reilly,
21 Patricia and Rollin Martin, Rebecca and Gary Osborne, and James
22 and Marcy Hickey; and his dog and best friend, Whitey Davis
23 Hickey; therefore, be it
 

 

 

SR0621 - 3 - LRB095 20626 GRL 48766 r

1     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
2 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
3 his family and friends, the passing of Dr. Walter J. Hickey;
4 and be it further
 
5     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6 presented to the family of Dr. Walter J. Hickey as an
7 expression of our sympathy.