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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Richard
4 "Dick" Solomon of Naperville, who passed away on October 29,
5 2009, following a courageous 15-year battle with Parkinson's
6 Disease; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Dick Solomon was born June 2, 1933 in Bloomington;
8 he graduated from Bloomington High School in 1951 and from the
9 Illinois Institute of Technology in 1955, with a Bachelor of
10 Science degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering; and
 
11     WHEREAS, On October 9, 1955 he married Jane J. Henderson in
12 Colfax; in 1956 he entered the United States Navy and was
13 stationed in Japan and New York working in the Research,
14 Testing, and Developmental Laboratory; when he was discharged
15 in 1958, Dick and Jane settled in Naperville; and
 
16     WHEREAS, He dedicated his life to fire protection service;
17 he worked as Assistant Chief Engineer at ISO in the Municipal
18 Department located in Chicago from 1958 to 1966; he founded
19 Richard H. Solomon & Associates in 1967 as a fire protection
20 engineering firm serving governmental units and was the primary
21 project and field engineer and lead consultant to more than 65
22 municipalities and fire districts in Illinois and surrounding

 

 

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1 states; Richard H. Solomon & Associates regarded life safety
2 codes and the development of communities to ensure adequate
3 fire protection; Richard Solomon served until his retirement in
4 2006; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He also served as DuPage County Fire Marshal from
6 1977 until his retirement; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Richard Solomon held many other positions in his
8 life; by gubernatorial appointment, Richard was a member of the
9 Illinois Fire Protection Personnel Standards and Education
10 Commission from 1970 to 1977, where he served as Chairman for
11 several years; he was Vice-Chairman of the Illinois High Rise
12 Fire Commission in the mid-1980s and worked actively to create
13 legislation to protect occupants of high-rise housing and
14 hotels; and
 
15     WHEREAS, He was inducted as a Life Member of the National
16 Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and served or led several
17 committees; he held leadership positions in the Society of Fire
18 Protection Engineers by serving on the national and Illinois
19 Boards of Directors, President of the Illinois chapter, and
20 many other committees; the Chicago chapter awarded him the
21 Joseph B. Finnegan award and the Lewis W. Freeman award for
22 outstanding service to the field; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Richard was a lecturer and speaker at several
2 institutions, including the Illinois Institute of Technology
3 and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as
4 many fire professional, municipal, and technical organizations
5 throughout the country; he wrote many training materials,
6 including a text that is still utilized in several degree
7 programs across the country; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Richard was a charter member of the Naperville
9 Congregational Church and actively involved in church
10 committees; he was a devoted husband and father to his two
11 daughters, Karen and Diane, and a loving grandfather to his
12 grandsons Brian and Danny; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Richard Solomon's dedication to his jobs, civil
14 service, the people of Illinois, and his family has inspired
15 many who were lucky enough to cross his path; therefore, be it
 
16     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
18 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
19 Richard "Dick" Solomon; and be it further
 
20     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21 presented to the family of Richard "Dick" Solomon as an
22 expression of our sincere sympathy.