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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois General Assembly join
3 together in honoring the memory of Donald E. Stephens, Mayor of
4 the Village of Rosemont, who passed away on April 18, 2007; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Donald Stephens was the first and only chief
6 executive of Rosemont; he was serving his 13th term as mayor,
7 believed to be the longest serving incumbent mayor in the
8 country; under his leadership the Rosemont community became one
9 of the most progressive and successful municipalities in the
10 State of Illinois; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Donald Stephens was elected president of the
12 homeowner's association in the 1950s and began to see the
13 potential in living close to O'Hare Airport; he was able to
14 incorporate the village in 1956; and
 
15     WHEREAS, He oversaw the building of one of the first Hyatt
16 Regency hotels in his community; eventually 14 hotels would
17 make Rosemont their home; he oversaw the creation of the O'Hare
18 Exposition Center in 1975 (changed in 2000 to the Donald E.
19 Stephens Convention and Conference Center), now one of the top
20 ten centers in the country, the Rosemont Horizon in 1980 (now
21 the Allstate Arena), home to the DePaul Blue Demons, the
22 Chicago Wolves, and the Chicago Rush sports teams, as well as a

 

 

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1 venue for major music concerts and festivals, and the Rosemont
2 Theatre, a 4,000 seat venue that is home to the Chicagoland
3 Pops Orchestra of Rosemont; and
 
4     WHEREAS, At the time of his passing Mayor Stephens was
5 creating Rosemont Walk, a $500 million entertainment district
6 that will include a movie theatre megaplex, three new hotels,
7 the biggest water park in the State, nationally famous
8 restaurants, and many more businesses for the community; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The passing of Mayor Donald Stephens will be
10 deeply felt by those who knew and loved him, especially his
11 wife, Katherine; his brother, Arthur; his son, Donald E.
12 Stephens II, his son, Mark Stephens; his daughter, Gail
13 Stephens; his son, Bradley Stephens; his grandchildren, Donald
14 E. Stephens III, Christopher R. Stephens, Bradley Stephens,
15 Jr., Brittany Rosemont, Jacqueline, Michelle, Kaila, Tiana,
16 Racquel, Mark Richard, Mark Donald, and Danny; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
18 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
19 CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn, along with his family,
20 friends, and the Rosemont community, the passing of Mayor
21 Donald E. Stephens; and be it further
 
22     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1 presented to the family of Mayor Donald E. Stephens as a symbol
2 of our sympathy.