SR0768 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0768 LRB096 21988 KXB 40174 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Alex Robert Seith, former Hinsdale resident, of Hollywood, Florida, who passed away on March 23, 2010; and

WHEREAS, He was born July 27, 1934 in Aurora to Alex and Helen Seith; as a young man, he earned the Rank of Eagle Scout, participated in debate, track, and football at Aurora West High School, graduating in 1952; he attended Yale University on scholarship, earning a degree in philosophy in 1956; and

WHEREAS, He married Frances Remington of Rochester, New York in September of 1956; he earned his law degree at Harvard University in 1960, and returned to the Chicago area to become a well-known corporate and real estate attorney; throughout the early years of his career, he also served as a Captain in the United States Army Reserve; and

WHEREAS, While in college, he formed a keen interest in politics and history, which would last throughout his life; he became an active member of the Chicago Young Democrats and was a former chairman of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations; most notably, he served as chairman of the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals for more than 40 years; and

WHEREAS, He was the 1978 Democratic nominee for the United States Senate from Illinois; a complete newcomer to electoral politics, he narrowly lost to incumbent Republican Charles Percy; he later went on to co-own a number of radio stations, including WSDR/WSSQ in Sterling, as well as Illinois News Network, a statewide radio network; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s he provided on-air commentaries for WLS (Channel 7) television in Chicago; he was frequently a guest on local television and radio stations offering election-night analysis; he had a passion for travel, taking his children and grandsons on numerous "history lesson" trips to the former Soviet Union, Czech Republic, and the great cities of Europe; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his wife, Frances, and his parents, Alex and Helen Seith; and

WHEREAS, Alex Seith is survived by his children, William (Carol Johnson) Seith, Kathleen (George) Corso, and Robert (Cathy VanSchwartz); and his grandchildren Sebastian, Calvin, and Alexis Seith; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Alex Seith; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Alex Seith as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.