SR0848 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0848 LRB096 22372 KXB 41516 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of George A. "Bud" Berry III of St. Charles, who passed away on April 16, 2010; and

WHEREAS, He was born in Chicago to George A. Berry Jr. and Helen Royer Berry and raised in Hinsdale; he attended Philips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and was a graduate of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where he was a letterman in football, hockey, and track; in September 1946, he married Jane Morton of Geneva, and they had two children, Robert F. Berry and George A. Berry IV; and

WHEREAS, In June 1935, he began his career at American Terra Cotta Corporation, a company originally founded in 1881 as American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Co. by William Day Gates and bought and re-organized by his father, George A. Berry Jr., in 1935; he was a member of the United States Army from 1941-46, where he was involved in the D-Day Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge; he completed his service in England as an adjutant of the 433rd Fighter Control Squadron; after World War II, he returned to work at American Terra Cotta Corporation and continued his illustrious career at the company; and

WHEREAS, He was instrumental in transforming the company from the manufacturer of clay products, which discontinued in 1966, to an industry leader in commercial heat treating and manufacturer of heat treated ground engaging tools for the construction equipment industry; the worldwide company, known today as TC Industries Inc., has facilities in Crystal Lake; Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada; and Skinningrove, U.K.; he retired as chairman in 1984, but remained involved in the company's planning and real estate activities until his passing; and

WHEREAS, He authored and published two books on the history of the company, "Common Clay: A History of American Terra Cotta Corporation 1881-1966," and "Bars & Blades: A History of TC Industries, Inc. 1881-2006"; and

WHEREAS, He was president of the Architectural Terra Cotta Institute from 1950-56, director of Structural Clay Products Institute in Washington, D.C., through 1966, national president of the Associated Alumni of Middlebury College in 1964, and served as trustee of the Geneva Community Hospital in Geneva for 20 years; he was a member of the Geneva Golf Club and The Chicago Club for 64 years, the Chicago Golf Club for 42 years, and a member of the Key Largo Anglers Club, the Card Sound Golf Club, and the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida, where he has had a winter home for 40 years; during his time in Florida, he pursued his favorite hobby of fishing for the "Big Three": bonefish, tarpon, and permit; and

WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents; and a sister, Dorothy Gillespie; and

WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife; his sons; his daughter-in-law, Margo; his two grandchildren, Sterling Morton Berry and George A. Berry; and his sister, Helen von Dallwitz; 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 George Berry; and be it further

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