SR0069 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0069 LRB095 11187 MST 31578 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Gerald T. Callahan, who passed away on Thursday, January 25, 2007; and

WHEREAS, He was born on October 7, 1945 in Evergreen Park to Eugene and Dorothy Callahan, the fourth of five boys and one girl; he was united in marriage to Peggy (nee Newton) in September of 1968; and

WHEREAS, He was employed at Xerox Corporation from June of 1967 to July 1971 as a sales representative and national accounts manager; in July of 1971 he began work for Posen Oil Terminal, Inc. as Vice-President of Marketing and Operations; he purchased Posen Oil in August of 1974 and served as CEO and owner until the company was sold in January of 2005; and

WHEREAS, He co-founded the Claddagh Foundation in 1996 to raise funds for research in the spinal cord injury field; he served as trustee for the Claddagh Foundation and was responsible for administering, raising, and distributing funds; to date the Claddagh Foundation has given in excess of $1.2 million to various charities including The Miami Project, the Buoniconti Fund, the Illinois Spinal Cord Association, the Transverse Myelitis Association, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and several local charities in the metropolitan Chicago area; in 2006, he was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Buoniconti Fund, which is a national fund-raising arm of The Miami Project; his devotion to the mission of the Claddagh Foundation and for "standing up for those who can't" will never be forgotten as progress is made toward keeping his dream of finding a cure for paralysis alive; and

WHEREAS, His love of God, family, friends, and golf were second to none; in the celebration of Mr. Callahan's life one theme continues to ring through, he was "simply the best"; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Gerald T. Callahan has been deeply felt by many, especially his wife, Peggy; his children, Kati, Lori, Liz, Courtney, Jennifer, and Michael; and his grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Emma, and Ella; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Gerald T. Callahan, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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