SR0744 LRB094 20486 HSS 58750 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate were deeply saddened to
3 learn of the death of Berardo J. "Dee" DeSimone Sr. of
4 Elmhurst, the former regional superintendent of schools in
5 DuPage County, on April 26, 2006; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone was born to Italian immigrant parents
7 and raised in Chicago; he attended Crane Tech High School;
8 after his graduation in 1944, he attended Iowa State University
9 on a football scholarship and received his associate's degree
10 in education; he also played baseball and was drafted by the
11 Boston Red Sox; and
 
12     WHEREAS, While at Iowa State, Mr. DeSimone suffered an
13 injury and returned home, where he attended DePaul University;
14 from 1948 through 1950 he was a teacher with the Chicago Board
15 of Education; he earned his bachelor of science degree in
16 education at DePaul in 1949; he went on to receive his
17 doctorate from Rhode Island University and completed
18 coursework at Northwestern University, Northern Illinois
19 University, and Loyola University; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone was drafted into the Army in 1950; a
21 year later, while on leave, he married Sally Rose, whom he met
22 while dancing at the Paradise Ballroom; after his Army service,
23 he joined Berkeley School District 87 in 1952; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone served the District a total of 22
25 years, as teacher, assistant principal, director of the
26 physical education department, business manager, assistant
27 superintendent, and superintendent; while serving as a
28 principal in 1958, shortly after the Our Lady of the Angels
29 fire that killed 92 students and three nuns in Chicago, he
30 helped develop and write the State's life safety codes; and
 

 

 

SR0744 - 2 - LRB094 20486 HSS 58750 r

1     WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone joined the Illinois State Board of
2 Education as an educational specialist in 1974; he became
3 assistant regional superintendent of schools in DuPage County
4 in 1976; he was first appointed to the post of regional
5 superintendent in 1985 and served through 2003; he never faced
6 an opponent for election or re-election; and
 
7     WHEREAS, As one of the 45 statewide regional
8 superintendents, Mr. DeSimone acted as an intermediary between
9 the 43 county school districts and the Illinois State Board of
10 Education; he helped shape new programs for the districts,
11 including the development of the DuPage Area Vocational
12 Education Association, now the DuPage Area Occupational
13 Education System; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Mr. DeSimone also served as chairman of the
15 Illinois State Board of Education Health and Life Safety
16 Advisory Board committee and was a former Illinois Building
17 Commission member; he was preceded in death by his wife and a
18 son, Joseph; and
 
19     WHEREAS, The passing of Berardo J. "Dee" DeSimone Sr. is
20 deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his
21 surviving sons, Berardo Jr. and Neil; his sister, Anne; and his
22 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; therefore, be
23 it
 
24     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
25 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the death of
26 Berardo J. DeSimone Sr., and we extend our sincerest
27 condolences to his family, friends, and community; and be it
28 further
 
29     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
30 presented to the family of Berardo J. DeSimone Sr. as an
31 expression of our deepest sympathy.