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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Robert W. Galvin; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Robert Galvin was born in 1922, in Marshfield,
5Wisconsin; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Robert Galvin had a long and distinguished career
7in telecommunications; he began working in the stock room of
8Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago, a business
9founded by his father and uncle, in 1940; the company made a
10device that recharged batteries used to power radios and
11developed the "Handie-Talkie", a 2-way radio that ended up
12being used in all theaters during World War II; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 1959, following the passing of his father,
14Robert Galvin took the helm at the company, which had since
15acquired the name Motorola; the company subsequently moved from
16Chicago to Schaumburg in 1967, which helped spur the growth of
17the suburb; under his leadership, Motorola played a role in
18outer space, developing key communications products used in
19America's space program; Motorola gear brought the sound and
20video images to Earth in 1969, when astronaut Neil Armstrong
21spoke his famous words "one small step for man, one giant leap
22for mankind"; and
 

 

 

SR0374- 2 -LRB097 14058 GRL 58700 r

1    WHEREAS, During his tenure at Motorola, Robert Galvin
2created many initiatives that led to the company's incredible
3growth; in 1973, Motorola demonstrated DynaTAC, the first
4hand-held cellular phone, which weighed about 2 pounds; the
5phones became available 10 years later; in 1987, he led the
6company into China with a $100 million investment, which led to
7the name "Motorola" becoming synonymous with the cell phone in
8China; after stepping down as CEO in 1986, he continued to
9serve as the company's chairman until 1990; he then served on
10the company's board of directors until 2001; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Robert Galvin is survived by his wife, Mary Barnes
12Galvin; his children, Gail Galvin Ellis, Dawn Galvin Meiners,
13Christopher Galvin, and Michael Galvin; his 13 grandchildren;
14and his 10 great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
17his family and friends, the passing of Robert W. Galvin; and be
18it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20presented to the family of Robert Galvin as an expression of
21our sympathy.