HR0063 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0063 LRB095 10597 KXB 30830 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Thomas G. Lyons of Chicago, who passed away on January 12, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Lyons was born May 24, 1931 in Chicago; he was raised on Chicago's Northwest Side in our Lady of Victory Parish; he was the son of Marian (Daniels) and Thomas V. Lyons, the former Chicago Chief of Uniformed Police; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was a graduate of Campion Jesuit High School, Xavier University, Loyola University Chicago, and the Loyola University Chicago School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons followed in his father's footsteps as a Chicago Police officer; he became an attorney in 1957 and served as the chief attorney for the Cook County Assessor's Office from 1958 to 1960 before joining the office of the Illinois Attorney General; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was elected State Senator in 1964; the next year he was elected to serve in a leadership role for the State commission studying the need for a new State constitution; he was later elected a delegate to the 1970 Constitutional Convention, serving as vice president during the drafting of the 1970 Illinois Constitution; and

WHEREAS, While a member of the Illinois Senate Mr. Lyons served as chairman of the Appropriations and the Constitutional Implementation committees; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons, the 45th Ward Democratic Committeeman since 1968, was first elected chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party in 1990, a position he held for nearly seventeen years; he also served as a delegate to every Democratic National Convention from 1968 to 2000; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was named a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin and was awarded a Medal of Excellence by his alma mater, the Loyola University Chicago School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was named by former President Bill Clinton to the American Battle Monuments Commission as a reflection of his dedication to military service and to the men and women who have worn our country's uniform; Mr. Lyons served in the United States Army achieving the rank of Captain in the Army Rangers; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons was a practicing attorney as a named partner in the firm of O'Keefe, Ashenden, Lyons & Ward, later O'Keefe, Lyons and Hynes; a man of many diverse interests, Mr. Lyons was an avid scholar of American history, as well as a devout fan of Notre Dame, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bears (and in that order!); and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lyons is survived by his loving wife, Ruth (Tobin); his children, Alexandra (Thomas) Cooney, Thomas V. (Margo), Francis X. (Mary Pat), and Rachel (James) Cooper; his grandchildren Anne Marie, Thomas and Sheila Lyons, Caroline, Elizabeth and Frances Lyons, and Alexandra and William Cooper; his sister, Patricia Breen; his cousin and dear friend, State Representative Joseph Lyons; and his many good friends and admirers; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Thomas G. Lyons; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Thomas G. Lyons as an expression of our deepest sympathy for their loss.