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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are deeply saddened to learn of the death of
4Mary Lou Cowlishaw, who passed away on June 23, 2010 at the age
5of 78; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Mary Lou Cowlishaw was born on February 20, 1932,
7in Rockford, to Donald George and Mildred Corinne (Hayes)
8Miller; she graduated as valedictorian from West Rockford High
9School; she attended the University of Illinois and earned her
10degree in journalism; she also received two honorary degrees,
11including a Doctorate of Humane Letters from North Central
12College; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Mary Lou and Wayne Cowlishaw were married on July
1424, 1954; the couple was happily married for over 50 years;
15together, they had 3 children, Beth (David) McDaniel, John
16(Jane) Cowlishaw, and Paula (Andrew) Rader, and 8
17grandchildren, Jacob McDaniel, Zachary, Maxwell, Alexandria,
18and Rachel Green-Cowlishaw, and Emily, Elizabeth and John Paul
19(JP) Rader; she was preceded in death by her parents and her
20son, John; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Soon after their marriage, Mary Lou Cowlishaw and
22her husband moved to Naperville, where she began her career as

 

 

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1a journalist in 1958; she worked for the Naperville Sun for
2many years, earning a 1st-place award from the Illinois Press
3Association for a series on the unacceptable conditions in a
4nearby nursing home; in 1972, she was elected as a member of
5Naperville Unit District 203's school board, where she
6developed a passion for improving education; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Mary Lou Cowlishaw served as a school board member
8for more than a decade before being elected to represent the
941st District in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1983;
10her district included nearly all of Naperville Township, part
11of Lisle Township, and most of the city of Naperville; and
 
12    WHEREAS, As a legislator, Mary Lou Cowlishaw's passion for
13advancing the State's educational system did not diminish; as a
14representative of the 41st District for 2 decades, she made
15issues related to education her top priority; she sponsored
16countless legislative initiatives, including Chicago school
17reform and a charter schools program that became a model for
18school reform throughout the State the nation at large; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Mary Lou Cowlishaw was the sponsor of the
20Education for Homeless Children Act, which minimizes
21educational disruption for homeless youth, promotes stability
22and continuity in education, and provides essential social
23support during periods of housing instability; she also was

 

 

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1instrumental in the creation of the Illinois Mathematics and
2Science Academy in Aurora, which admits about 250 gifted
3students a year and is frequently listed on Newsweek's annual
4list of "Best High Schools in America"; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Former Representative Cowlishaw was a champion of
6women's rights and was an active member of the National
7Federation of Republican Women and the League of Women Voters
8of Naperville; she was also a founding member and former
9president of the Naperville Republican Women's Club; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Mary Lou Cowlishaw served as the Republican
11spokeswoman on the House Elementary and Secondary Education
12Committee and was an active member of the Higher Education
13Appropriations Committee, the Mental Health and Patient Abuse
14Committee, the Public Utilities Committee, and the Select
15Committee on Aging; on the national level, she served as
16chairperson of the NCSL Education Committee and the Education
17Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, a
18commissioner from Illinois on the Education Commission of
19States, and a member of the National Education Goals Panel; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Mary Lou Cowlishaw's many contributions did not go
21unnoticed; in recognition of her efforts, she received
22countless awards from State and local governmental agencies and
23civic groups, including the State Board of Education, the

 

 

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1Illinois Community College Trustees Association, and the
2Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools;
3she won the Illinois Association of School Boards "Golden
4Apple" award numerous times; in 2001, she was the only lawmaker
5in Illinois to be recognized for Outstanding Contributions to
6Educational Improvement by the National Education Goals Panel;
7in 1994, she was named Legislator of the Year; her achievements
8and contributions as a legislator cannot be overstated; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Perhaps the most befitting recognition of Mary Lou
10Cowlishaw's commitment to educational excellence, access, and
11equity on behalf of students in Illinois and throughout the
12nation was when the Indian Prairie School District 204 honored
13her by choosing to name Naperville's new school building "Mary
14Lou Cowlishaw Elementary" in 1997; and
 
15    WHEREAS, As a legislator, Mary Lou Cowlishaw maintained
16that education is the number one determinant of an individual's
17quality of life; for this reason, education was her top
18priority, even following her retirement from the Illinois
19General Assembly; only 4 weeks after her departure from State
20government, she accepted a position as an adjunct professor of
21education at North Central College, where she was dedicated to
22furthering the education of Illinois' youth; and
 
23    WHEREAS, As a result of her tireless efforts, Mary Lou

 

 

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1Cowlishaw has left Illinois a better, more hopeful place than
2when she entered the world 78 years ago; therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
5mourn, along with her family, friends, and the countless people
6whose lives have been blessed by her presence, the passing of a
7friend, a former colleague, and an inspiration to all, Mary Lou
8Cowlishaw; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to the family of Mary Lou Cowlishaw as a symbol of
11our sympathy for their loss and as an expression of our
12profound gratitude and respect.