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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to honor
3 the life of former Illinois State Representative and Senator
4 Adeline Geo-Karis of Zion, who passed away on February 10,
5 2008; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was an exemplary
7 lawmaker who was held in the highest regard for her
8 thirty-three years of public service in the Illinois General
9 Assembly, which commenced in the Illinois House of
10 Representatives and concluded in the Illinois Senate; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Senator Geo-Karis was known as the beloved
12 matriarch of the Senate Chamber and was particularly honored to
13 be recognized as the Dean of the Senate; she was known for her
14 many years of devoted and highly respected service to her State
15 and her country; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was born on March 29,
17 1918, in Tegeas, Greece; she came to the United States in 1922;
18 in the course of her illustrious life, she became well known as
19 a proud American, political pioneer, and beloved public
20 steward; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis attended Northwestern

 

 

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1 University; she received her L.L.B. from DePaul University and
2 was the only female in her class; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis devoted many decades to
4 improving the lives of the people of Lake County, working hard
5 throughout her lengthy career to advance the public good and
6 safeguard freedom; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis served as a lieutenant
8 commander with Top Secret Clearance in the United States Naval
9 Reserves, an Assistant State's Attorney, a Justice of the
10 Peace, Mayor of Zion, a State Representative, and a State
11 Senator; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis headed her own law firm
13 in Zion; she was a municipal attorney for Mundelein, Vernon
14 Hills, Libertyville Township, and Long Grove School District,
15 and was elected Justice of the Peace in Lake County; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis broke down many gender
17 walls in the course of her career; she was the first woman ever
18 to be appointed to the position of Assistant State's Attorney
19 in Lake County; she was the first female to be elected Mayor of
20 Zion; she went on to become the first Lake County woman elected
21 to the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois
22 Senate; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was the first woman in
2 Illinois' history ever to serve in the Senate Leadership,
3 serving for ten years as Assistant Senate Majority Leader; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis served as the Minority
5 Spokesman for the Senate Executive Appointments Committee and
6 was one of only two Republican Senators to serve as
7 co-chairperson of a committee in the 94th General Assembly; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was a strong advocate
9 for veterans; she served as Chairperson of the Senate
10 Republican Task Force on Veterans, where she worked to protect
11 our men and women in the Armed Forces; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis worked in a bipartisan
13 manner to enact legislation for strong crime control and to
14 benefit veterans, senior citizens, children, people with
15 disabilities, and the working majority; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis pioneered legislation
17 on gasohol, solar energy, and other alternative energy
18 resources, and she was commended for her sponsorship of the
19 Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act, the Alternative Energy Act,
20 and laws to increase safety on Illinois lakes, among many
21 others; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis successfully sponsored
2 and supported important crime-control legislation and was a
3 proud sponsor of the "Guilty but Mentally Ill" law; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was recognized for her
5 commitment and support of Illinois' business community, senior
6 citizens, and agriculture, resulting in better lives and more
7 opportunities for many of her constituents; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis' commitment to aiding
9 and advancing the needs of Illinois' veterans and Armed Forces
10 was a testament to the highest form of compassion, patriotism,
11 and human decency; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was very proud of her
13 American citizenship, yet cherished her Greek heritage,
14 working hard to assist and support the Greek community
15 throughout her public career; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Senator Adeline Geo-Karis was a member of St.
17 Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Waukegan; she was past
18 president of the Parish Board of Trustees and Ladies Auxiliary,
19 and the former choir director; and
 
20     WHEREAS, In honor of Senator Adeline Geo-Karis' dedication

 

 

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1 to the people of Illinois, the Illinois Beach State Park in
2 Zion was renamed after her in 2006; and
 
3     WHEREAS, The passing of Senator Adeline Geo-Karis will be
4 mourned greatly by her fellow legislators, admirers, and
5 constituents, who will fondly remember her for her
6 intelligence, compassion, and graciousness; therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
8 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the loss of
9 Senator Adeline Geo-Karis and honor the memory of this
10 legendary legislator and her many good deeds; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to the family of former Senator Adeline Geo-Karis as
13 an expression of our respect and as a symbol of our sincere
14 sympathy.