SR0102 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0102 LRB095 11676 KXB 34015 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Benedict "Ben" Brocato of Berwyn, who passed away on March 8, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Brocato, an alderman in the 5th Ward since 1997, was the longest-serving current alderman in Berwyn; and

WHEREAS, At the age of 13, Mr. Brocato and his family moved from Italy to the Chicago area; after graduating from high school, he received a manufacturing engineering degree from Chicago Technical College; Mr. Brocato worked for various manufacturers, first as a manufacturing engineer, then in sales; in 1992 he combined his knowledge of both fields and started his own business, Brodic Machine Tool Sales Inc., in Berwyn; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after he and his wife, Maureen, bought their home in 1970, he became involved in the community, first in his son's school in District 98 as well as with Cub Scouts, PTA, and band parents; and

WHEREAS, In 1997, at the prompting of friends, he ran for alderman and won and later was re-elected twice; Mr. Brocato was chairman of the city's Fire and Police Committee, Public Works Committee, and was recently appointed chairman of the Education Committee; he helped spearhead a parental responsibility ordinance, which holds parents liable for the actions of their children, and he helped to launch many of the city's senior citizen programs, from the senior bus to the advocate program; Mr. Brocato was a member of the Roosevelt Road Business Association; he was a volunteer for the West Suburban United Way and the Italian-American Civic Organization of Berwyn; and he was a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the American Machine Tool Distributors of America; and

WHEREAS, Bendedict "Ben" Brocato is survived by his wife of 41 years, Maureen; his son, Joseph; his mother, Francesca; his sisters and a brother in Italy; and his four grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Benedict "Ben" Brocato; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Benedict "Ben" Brocato as a symbol of our sympathy.