Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR1536
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Full Text of SR1536  100th General Assembly

SR1536 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Thomas James "Tom" Broderick of Oak Park,
4who passed away on November 25, 2017 at the age of 65; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick was born in Washington, D.C. on
6March 17, 1952; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick spent many summers as a child in New
8York with his Uncle Byron, enjoying the museums and bookstores
9of Manhattan and the beach at Fire Island; as an adult, no trip
10to New York was complete without a visit to his favorite
11bookstore, Printed Matter; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick was raised in a family that
13emphasized social justice, education, diversity, and a love of
14culture, all of which influenced him greatly during the course
15of his life; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick developed a lifelong interest in
17politics as a young man; he was proud of the photograph of
18himself, aged 10, when his mother took him to hear Dr. Martin
19Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington; in the photo, Tom
20holds a sign that seemed to guide his life which read, "We Are
21Marching for Freedom, Ours and Yours"; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick and a friend left the country after
2high school in order to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam
3War; they traveled extensively through Africa "with little more
4than lint in their pockets"; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick also traveled to Mexico, living in
6small villages with families and collecting art, embroideries,
7and weavings, which were still on the walls of his apartment
8many years later; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick's interest in photography drew him
10to Columbia College Chicago in the 1970s, and later to the
11School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he created and
12collected artist books; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick began his career in printing as a
14"stripper", which he enjoyed telling people with a mischievous
15grin, and stayed in printing for the rest of his work life; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick did not just talk about justice, he
17showed up to support justice; whoever said that showing up was
1880% of life had Tom in mind; he showed up for death row visits,
19board meetings, fundraisers, informational gatherings, and
20celebrations; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick worked tirelessly, creatively, and
2joyfully on a wide range of progressive issues and causes; his
3particular and strongest interests were the abolition of the
4death penalty, working people's rights to organize and live
5with dignity, and reproductive justice; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick's involvements in progressive
7causes are almost too numerous to mention; he served on the
8board of the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty in
9its final years before abolition in 2011; he supported striking
10and low-wage workers during a 10-year strike at Chicago's
11Congress Hotel; on the day he died, he escorted clients at a
12downtown family planning clinic as a volunteer for the Illinois
13Choice Action Team; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick helped organize the Oak Park
15Coalition for Truth and Justice and the Democratic Socialists
16of America multi-year campaign to get the Oak Park Village
17Board to pass a living wage ordinance; the nine-year campaign
18finally reached fruition in combination with the Fight for $15
19efforts when the village board voted not to opt out of Cook
20County's Living Wage Ordinance in 2017; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick was frequently published in the
22Wednesday Journal's "One View" and letters to the editor, as
23well as in the Chicago Sun-Times; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick is remembered for his love of
2cooking, his hours-long dinner parties, and his love of having
3time around the table with good food, drink, friends, music and
4conversation; he had a "free and energetic approach to life",
5being known as irreverent, for speaking his truth and for
6letting the good times roll; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Tom Broderick is survived by his son, Byron
8Broderick, and his former wife, Diane Scott; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
11Thomas James "Tom" Broderick, and extend our sincere
12condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
13him; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of Tom Broderick, as an expression of
16our deepest sympathy.