SR0462 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0462 LRB101 12224 MST 59881 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Karen Ard on October 19, 2018 at the age of 79; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard (Eggers) was born on September 15, 1939; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard was referred to as a Renaissance woman, as she enjoyed playing the piano and the cello and joined the local orchestra for its annual production of the Messiah; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard volunteered at the Adler Planetarium, where she built her own telescope and used it to help people learn about the sky; and

WHEREAS, In her 40s, Karen Ard returned to college and earned a degree in geology, which involved her studying rock samples from Wisconsin under a microscope to determine their composition; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard was involved in community organizing in Maywood, working to ensure integration, building relationships with gang members through outreach at the Cicero Salvation Army, and teaching members to enjoy reading; her success in teaching students who hated reading led her to teach many non-readers to relish in reading, sometimes in only a week; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard loved conversing with people, getting to know them, and discussing social justice, which brought her great pleasure; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard taught second to sixth-grade science for 12 years, engaging with the same students during their elementary school years and getting to know them very well; each year, she had a science fair and guided her students in choosing and mastering a project to present to parents at the fair; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard taught junior college courses in earth science, educating her students on global warming since the 1990s; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard's greatest passion was being a loving mother and wife; and

WHEREAS, Karen Ard is survived by her husband, Tom; her daughters, Sheri A. Ard and Denise E. Ard; and her brothers, Thomas Eggers and Paul (Anne) Eggers; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Karen Ard and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Karen Ard as an expression of our deepest sympathy.