HR0715 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0715 LRB099 13812 MST 37789 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Cecelia Cukla Olejniczak on the occasion of her 90th birthday; and

WHEREAS, Cecelia Olejniczak was born in Chicago on August 15, 1925 to Joseph and Julia Cukla; she attended St. Joseph's Grammar School and Resurrection High School, where she performed a piano concert to raise money for the Red Cross to help troops during World War II and won a contest for her vocal talents; and

WHEREAS, After graduation from high school, Cecelia Olejniczak continued entertaining with many well-known orchestras in the Chicagoland area; she also worked in the family bakery, which was known as the Original Tasty Bakery in Chicago; she began attending college in 1944 to work on a musical degree; and

WHEREAS, At her mother's request, Cecelia Olejniczak wrote letters to Joseph Olejniczak, a soldier in World War II, and 2 years later in 1946, they married; they moved to Oak Lawn in 1950, where they raised their 9 children; and

WHEREAS, Cecelia Olejniczak became an active parishioner at St. Gerald Church, where she was part of the choir and a substitute organist; in 1952, she became the full-time organist at St. Gerald and St. Albert the Great; she also taught piano and the organ and gave vocal lessons in her home throughout her 90 years; and

WHEREAS, Cecelia Olejniczak was at one time the Musical Director of St. Gerald Church and President of the St. Gerald Altar and Rosary Society; she earned a Certificate in Church Liturgy and an Associate Degree in Church Music from St. Joseph College in Indiana during the 1980s; in 1992, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Xavier's University in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Cecelia Olejniczak received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 for over 50 years of serving as Music Director at St. Gerald Church; and

WHEREAS, Cecelia Olejniczak crochets baby blankets for newborn babies and hats for cancer patients at Advocate Christ Medical Center; and

WHEREAS, Cecelia Olejniczak is the proud mother of 9; grandmother of 24; and great-grandmother of 27; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that that we congratulate Cecelia Cukla Olejniczak on her 90th birthday and we wish her many more wonderful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Cecelia Olejniczak as an expression of our esteem and respect.