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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives were saddened to learn of the passing of one of | ||||||
4 | our oldest and dearest friends, Bill Luking, on June 12, 2014; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, William H. Luking was born on August 7, 1947 in | ||||||
7 | Connersville, Indiana, the eldest of the 9 children of Lowell | ||||||
8 | and Elizabeth McCarthy Luking; he graduated from Connersville | ||||||
9 | High School in 1965, graduated cum laude from the University of | ||||||
10 | Notre Dame in 1969, and graduated from Northwestern University | ||||||
11 | Law School in 1972; he later served his country as a First | ||||||
12 | Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Bill Luking was one of the Statehouse's most | ||||||
14 | knowledgeable advocates; he was a wise expert who understood | ||||||
15 | State, local, and federal law; he loved his work and its focus | ||||||
16 | on complex issues involving taxation, economic development, | ||||||
17 | public pensions, and mass transit; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Beginning in 1986 under the administration of | ||||||
19 | Mayor Harold Washington, Bill Luking represented the City of | ||||||
20 | Chicago with commitment and skill; he would go on to serve as a | ||||||
21 | key advocate for the City for nearly 30 more years under Mayors | ||||||
22 | Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Bill Luking's talents, skills, and vast knowledge | ||||||
2 | helped him fight for millions of Chicagoans, conservationists, | ||||||
3 | and nature lovers as he represented the Chicago Public Schools, | ||||||
4 | the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Transit Authority, the | ||||||
5 | City Colleges of Chicago, and - one of his favorites - the | ||||||
6 | Chicago Botanic Garden; and
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7 | WHEREAS, In his years of distinguished service, Bill Luking | ||||||
8 | was instrumental in the passage of some of the most significant | ||||||
9 | laws affecting Chicago and its landscape, including the | ||||||
10 | construction of the new Comiskey Park, now U.S. Cellular Field; | ||||||
11 | the expansion of Soldier Field; the privatization of Midway | ||||||
12 | Airport; strengthening the City's authority over its school | ||||||
13 | system; and reforms that helped preserve the solvency of | ||||||
14 | Chicago's pension system and the retirement security of | ||||||
15 | countless numbers of municipal workers; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Bill Luking and his firm, Luking and Associates, | ||||||
17 | L.L.C., were proud of their pro bono work on behalf of the | ||||||
18 | Chicago Christian Industrial League, Tuesday's Child, the | ||||||
19 | Howard Area Community Association, the Chicago Children's | ||||||
20 | Advocacy Center, and the Southwest Youth Collaborative; and | ||||||
21 | WHEREAS, Bill Luking was regarded by his peers, whether | ||||||
22 | advocating on the same side of an issue or in opposition to |
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1 | him, as intelligent, forthright, and honest; he paved the way | ||||||
2 | for legislative success for many generations of newcomers to | ||||||
3 | the Capitol's corridors and his mastery of legislative history | ||||||
4 | and arcane Supreme Court decisions made him a better reference | ||||||
5 | source than Google; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Bill Luking was universally regarded as a | ||||||
7 | gentleman and a scholar, as well as a man of warmth and humor; | ||||||
8 | and | ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Bill Luking is survived by his siblings, Laura | ||||||
10 | (Peter) Jamison, Meg Luking, Mary Anne Morris, Beth Luking, | ||||||
11 | Gene (Debbie) Luking, Joe (Johnnie) Luking, Charlene (Larry) | ||||||
12 | Wood, and Rosemary (Jay) Card; 13 nieces and nephews; 13 | ||||||
13 | great-nieces and great-nephews; and his friend and companion, | ||||||
14 | Claire Manning; therefore, be it
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15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
16 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
17 | we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of | ||||||
18 | Bill Luking; and be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | presented to the family of Bill Luking as a symbol of our deep | ||||||
21 | sympathies and great esteem.
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