SR0466 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0466 LRB098 12870 MST 47363 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Alison O'Hara Barasa of Glenview, who passed away on July 20, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Alison O'Hara Barasa was born on May 9, 1963, in Oak Park; she was a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School; she received her Bachelor of Arts from Colorado College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado Law School; and

WHEREAS, Alison O'Hara Barasa was the Chairman of the Board of the Follett Corporation and a Follett family member; she joined the Follett Corporation in the late 1990s as Senior Council in the company's legal department, and was later promoted to Assistant General Counsel; she was named to the Board of Directors in 1999, and in 2011 was elected as the first female Chairman of the Board in the Follett Corporation's 140-year history; in 2012, she became the acting President and Chief Executive Officer following the retirement of Chuck Follett, and led the search for a successor; and

WHEREAS, Alison O'Hara Barasa began her public sector law career as an Assistant State's Attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney Office in 1988, and in 1991, she became Assistant Attorney General with the Illinois Attorney General's Office; from 1995 to 1997, she served as Senior Council with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, Alison O'Hara Barasa also worked in the private sector in Chicago during the 1990s; she served as an associate at Jackson Lewis and as Co-Chair of the Appellate Department of Cassiday Schade; between 1996 and 1998, she was an adjunct professor at Loyola University's Chicago School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Alison O'Hara Barasa life outside of work was centered on her family; she enjoyed shopping with her daughter Amanda, spring skiing in Idaho, and watching her sons Trevor and Tucker attempt to ski for the first time; she treasured her time on their boat at Lake Geneva and watching her family go "tubing"; her favorite place in the entire world was Sandpoint, Idaho, where she would spend time with her family and took no prisoners in card games; and

WHEREAS, Alison O'Hara Barasa is survived by her husband, James A. Barasa; her children, Amanda, Trevor, and Tucker; her stepchildren, Gina, Eliza, and Jimmy; her mother, Ariel Follett O'Hara; her father, J. Philip O'Hara (Patricia); her siblings, Keith (Dena), Julie (Dennis White), and John (Amy); and her entire extended family including niece, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Alison O'Hara Barasa, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Alison O'Hara Barasa as an expression of our deepest sympathy.