SR1099 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1099 LRB099 14793 MST 38961 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Harry J. Gallatin of Edwardsville, who passed away on October 7, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Harry Gallatin was born in Wood River on April 26, 1927 to Harry and Cecile (nee Hartman) Gallatin; he graduated from Roxana High School in 1944 and served in the United States Navy until the end of World War II; he received a bachelor's degree from Truman State University in 1948; he married Beverly A. Hull and in Burlington, Iowa on September 25, 1949 and received his master's degree from the University of Iowa in 1954; and

WHEREAS, Harry "The Horse" Gallatin was a 7-time NBA all-star and a professional and college basketball coach; he was the NBA's original "Iron Man", playing 610 consecutive regular season games for the New York Knicks in 9 seasons from 1948 to 1957, a record that stands today; in 1954, he led the NBA in rebounding and still ranks fourth on the Knicks' all-time rebound list; his cumulative total of 746 consecutive career games established him as one of the NBA's most durable players; his final season was with the Detroit Pistons, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991; he is also a member of the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) Athletics Hall of Fame, the Truman State University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame, the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Hall of Fame, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Southern Illinois University (SIU) Salukis Hall of Fame; he garnered honors throughout his retirement; most recently, in May, he was recognized at Madison Square Garden with a floor tile in the Garden's "Walk of Fame" for outstanding achievements in the history of the Garden; and

WHEREAS, Following his playing career, Harry Gallatin moved to the coaching ranks as the head coach of the SIU Salukis in Carbondale from 1958 to 1962; he returned to the professional ranks in 1962, coaching the St. Louis Hawks from 1962 to 1965, where he was awarded the first NBA Coach of the Year Award; he returned to New York in 1965, where he coached the New York Knicks during the 1965-66 season; in 1967, he began teaching and coaching basketball at SIUE and became the first athletics director at SIUE; in 1973, he became SIUE's men's golf coach, leading the team to 18 NCAA Division II Championship appearances and producing multiple All-Americans; he retired from SIUE in 1992, and in 2011, his 1983 men's golf team was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Harry Gallatin was an active member of the Edwardsville community in retirement; he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Edwardsville, past President and member of the Edwardsville Rotary Club, and a member of the Board of Directors of the First Cloverleaf Bank; he and his wife were long-time members of Sunset Hills Country Club; and

WHEREAS, Harry Gallatin was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, Harry Gallatin is survived by his wife of 66 years, Beverly; his 3 sons, Steven (Barbara) Gallatin, James (Suzanne) Gallatin, and William (Terri) Gallatin; his 8 grandchildren, Aaron and Stacey Gallatin, Jeremy (Christina) Gallatin, Emily (Adam) Geerts, Benjamin Gallatin, Amanda Gallatin (Aaron Hughes), Ross Gallatin, and Erik Gallatin; his 6 great-grandchildren, Nathan Satterfield, Zachary Kofrin, Abigail and Matthew Gallatin, and Ava and Griffin Geerts; his sister, Eileen Palmer; and his brother-in-law, Luverne Hull; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Harry J. Gallatin, and 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 the family of Harry Gallatin as an expression of our deepest sympathy.