HR0376 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0376 LRB094 12167 HSS 45606 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Frank Mathie of ABC 7 in Chicago has been named the 34th annual recipient of the Dante Award given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Mathie is a feature reporter for ABC 7 News; in his 36 years with ABC 7, he has covered everything from hard news to human-interest stories; with his current focus on features, he delves into the issues, events, and personalities of Chicago, bringing the city to life with his sense of humor and intellectual curiosity; and

WHEREAS, He joined ABC 7 in 1967 as a combination news writer and reporter; before committing to full-time feature coverage, he served as a writer and reporter for ABC 7's "ACTION 7" beat, which was designed to help Chicagoans with consumer and government issues (1971-74); he began his broadcasting career as a news writer, film editor, and reporter at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1964-67); and

WHEREAS, His talents include writing, editing, and the creative production of feature stories, and he has been recognized for journalistic excellence throughout his career; his list of awards includes many honors for feature reporting and spot news; he was a national finalist in the 1995 Edward R. Murrow Awards and won Emmy Awards in 1988, 1987, 1986, and 1985 for Outstanding News Feature Reporting; he was also honored with the United Press International award for Best News Feature in 1986, 1985, and 1981; and

WHEREAS, He was also cited with an Illinois Broadcasters Association award for best spot news reporting among Chicago television stations in 1977, and in 1971, he received the Distinguished Alumnus in Broadcasting Award from Marquette University's School of Speech; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Mathie is a Wisconsin native; he graduated from Milwaukee's Marquette University with a B.A. in Speech/Radio and Television; an avid golfer, he resides in the northern suburbs of Chicago with his wife; they have three grown children; and

WHEREAS, The Dante Award is given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans in order to recognize positive contributions being made by a person in the communication field who helps foster the true image of Italian people; it is given annually to a member of the fourth estate who best exemplifies Dante's edict to be no timid friend to truth; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Frank Mathie on being the recipient of the Dante Award given by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Mathie as an expression of our respect and esteem.