HR1203 LRB094 20292 HSS 58307 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Mr. Stephen Fiorentino has been named a recipient
3 of the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian of the Year Award
4 given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans
5 (JCCIA); and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. Fiorentino served as president of the JCCIA
7 from 1995 to 1996; during his presidency, he founded the
8 Humanitarian of the Year Award, presenting it to Joseph
9 Cardinal Bernardin in 1995, then naming the award in the
10 Cardinal's honor; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The award is presented annually to those whose
12 lives exemplify the virtues of caring, humanity, and good will
13 that were the hallmark of Cardinal Bernardin's tenure as
14 Archbishop of Chicago; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Born in 1945 in a small village in the province of
16 Palermo, Sicily, Mr. Fiorentino came to America with his family
17 in 1960; adapting to his new home wasn't easy, especially when
18 it came to getting an education, but he persevered and achieved
19 success as an attorney and active member of the
20 Italian-American community; and
 
21     WHEREAS, At the age of 15, he took a job at Serrelli Foods,
22 a neighborhood grocery store; he attended St. Philomena Parish
23 School, but because he didn't speak English and there were no
24 bi-lingual education programs, he was placed in a class with
25 much younger children; he advanced as his English improved, and
26 he completed elementary school at the age of 18; in 1962, he
27 entered Weber High School while working at Lecthrome Inc.;
28 during his summer breaks, he took a second job as an assembly
29 line inspector for the Schwinn Bicycle factory; and
 
30     WHEREAS, During his senior year of high school, he became

 

 

HR1203 - 2 - LRB094 20292 HSS 58307 r

1 eligible for United States citizenship and was sworn in as a
2 citizen in March of 1966; the following June, he graduated high
3 school at age 21; despite his age, he was determined to go to
4 college; while working for Eastern Airlines, Mr. Fiorentino
5 earned a degree in business from DePaul University; and
 
6     WHEREAS, After graduating from DePaul, he took a job with
7 Continental Illinois Bank while attending the evening division
8 at the John Marshall Law School; he earned his law degree in
9 1975, and began his legal career as an assistant state's
10 attorney in Cook County; in 1977, he married Frances Liga, a
11 young woman from Casteldaccia, Fiorentino's hometown in
12 Sicily, and who had settled in Champaign; the couple settled in
13 Glenview, where they became the proud parents of four sons; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In 2004, Mr. Fiorentino was awarded honorary
15 citizenship from the mayor of Casteldaccia; today, he has a
16 successful law practice concentrating in personal injury
17 litigation, commercial transactions, and real estate; he is
18 active in numerous Italian-American organizations, including
19 the JCCIA and Society San Giuseppe di Casteldaccia; therefore,
20 be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23 we congratulate Mr. Stephen Fiorentino on being a recipient of
24 the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Humanitarian of the Year Award
25 given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans; and be
26 it further
 
27     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
28 presented to Mr. Fiorentino as an expression of our esteem.