SR0203 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0203 LRB095 12264 KXB 36740 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Perry L. Fuller of Winnetka, who passed away on May 10, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Fuller served in the Marines during World War II; he was a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School; he began his professional career as a financial director of the Chicago Crime Commission before joining Hinshaw & Culbertson, a prominent Chicago law firm where he was mentored by founding partner Joseph Hinshaw and where he became a partner in 1969; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Fuller argued cases before the United States Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court, litigating everything from personal injury lawsuits to anti-trust cases; he handled several high-profile cases, including litigation that followed the 1981 collapse of a hotel skyway in Kansas City that left 113 dead and nearly 200 injured, and an infamous Oklahoma case involving an oil lease scheme that included well-known victims, including Barbra Streisand and comedian Jack Benny; he also defended the manager of the band Credence Clearwater Revival in the mysterious disappearance of millions of dollars owed to the rock group; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Fuller served as special counsel to various government agencies that included the Cook County Civil Service Commission, the Illinois Department of Mental Health, and the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission; he handled cases for the City of Chicago, Chicago Police Department, and Chicago Fire Fighters Union, as well as the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Fuller held dozens of executive positions with the American, Illinois, and Chicago Bar Associations and the American College of Trial Lawyers; he served as president of the Law Club of Chicago, the Society of Trial Lawyers, and the Illinois Humane Society; he co-chaired the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's Chicago Steering Committee; and served as a trustee on the Federal Defender Program; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Fuller turned down an offer to serve as counsel to the U.S. Congressional Impeachment Committee during President Richard Nixon's impeachment hearings; he was active in Winnetka, serving two terms on the Village Board, leading the Caucus Committee, and sitting on the Winnetka Community Chest Board; his wife, Alice, passed away in October of 2005; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Perry L. Fuller will be deeply felt by all those who knew him, especially his daughter, Leslie Fuller; their mutual longtime companion, Penny Fuller; his cousins, Donald Howorth and Susan Howorth Zbrozek; and his many nieces, nephews, friends, and colleagues; 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, friends, and colleagues, the passing of Perry L. Fuller; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Perry L. Fuller as a symbol of our sympathy.