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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of former Illinois State Representative
4Thomas B. "Tom" Berns, who passed away on February 19, 2018;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Berns was born to Henry E. and Phyllis R.
7(Berglin) Berns on April 8, 1945 and raised in Atlanta and
8Plano; he married Jeannie Galvin in Plano on August 28, 1965
9and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1968 with a
10bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Rep. Berns began working as an engineer at Danner
12and Associates, Inc.; in 1975, he co-founded Berns, Clancy and
13Associates; in 1979, the firm moved to its current location in
14Urbana and is regarded as one of the premier engineering firms
15in East Central Illinois; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Rep. Berns taught surveying for the University of
17Illinois as an adjunct instructor and around the State for the
18Engineering Extension Service; he also taught continuing
19education classes for the Illinois Professional Land
20Surveyor's Association, where he served as president in 1976;
21and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2000, Rep. Berns was appointed to the Illinois
2House of Representatives; he was re-elected and served one full
3term; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Rep. Berns received many
5awards, including the Young Engineer of the Year award in 1975
6from the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, the
7Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois Professional
8Land Surveyors Association in 1990, the Chi Epsilon Civil
9Engineering Honor Society and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor
10Society Awards from the University of Illinois, the Urbana
11Rotary Vocational Achievement Award in 2007, and the
12Outstanding Civil Engineer Award from the American Society of
13Civil Engineers in 2009; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Rep. Berns was a longtime member of the Urbana
15Rotary Club and served as the club's president in 1987-1988; he
16served as president of the Urbana Country Club and was a team
17manager and president of the Prairie Little League for four
18years; he served on the boards of the Champaign County Chamber
19of Commerce and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce; he was on the
20board of the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation from
212005-2011, a member of the Champaign County Bell Tower
22Committee, and served on the boards of the Champaign County
23Forest Preserve District Foundation and the Urbana Park
24District Foundation; he was a member of the board of trustees

 

 

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1of the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit district for 11 years and
2served as its chairman for one term; he was on the board of
3Clark Lindsey Village in Urbana for 38 years, 35 of those years
4as chairman; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rep. Berns was a member of St. Patrick's Roman
6Catholic Congregation in Urbana for over 50 years; he was an
7avid fan of Illini sports fan and enjoyed, golf, tennis, fly
8fishing, and spending time with his family; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Rep. Berns is survived by his wife of 52 years,
10Jeannie; his daughter, Rebecca Berns; his son, Michael (Kelly)
11Berns; his grandchildren, Brenna, Braden, Breccan, and Briley;
12and his sister, Mary Ellen Smith; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
15former Illinois State Representative Thomas B. "Tom" Berns, and
16extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all
17who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of Rep. Berns as an expression of our
20deepest sympathy.