Full Text of SR2067 100th General Assembly
SR2067 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Valda A. "Val" Camilletti of Cicero, who | 4 | | passed away on July 24, 2018 at the age of 78; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti was born to Italian immigrants | 6 | | Norma Mary and Quinto Camilletti and spoke Italian before | 7 | | English; her father was a factory worker who came from Perugia, | 8 | | Italy on a boat named after the opera composer, Guiseppe Verdi; | 9 | | she grew up on the West Side of Chicago in the Austin | 10 | | neighborhood and graduated from Austin High School; she then | 11 | | moved to Oak Park before settling in Cicero; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Three days after graduating from high school, Val | 13 | | Camilletti began her career at Continental Bank; in 1962, she | 14 | | accepted a job at Capitol Records and worked in their Chicago | 15 | | offices on Michigan Avenue; her duties included promoting | 16 | | records, working with radio stations, and organizing sock hops; | 17 | | in 1967, she moved to NMC Discount Records, where she managed | 18 | | various stores; when they went out of business in 1972, she | 19 | | took over the Oak Park shop on Ridgeland Avenue; the store | 20 | | eventually moved to 723 1/2 South Boulevard and became "Val's | 21 | | halla Records"; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti described her store as "a unique |
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| 1 | | musical landscape" filled with thousands of 45s, LPs, | 2 | | cassettes, and CDs in every conceivable music category; "Val's | 3 | | halla" was the place to go for music lovers from all | 4 | | generations and walks of life; her regular customers, including | 5 | | the late actor John Mahoney of Oak Park, stayed loyal even | 6 | | through the music industry's dramatic change to digital | 7 | | technology; the store also included a shrine to Elvis for those | 8 | | who felt the need to pay their respects; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti was involved in the folk scene in | 10 | | the 1950s and early 1960s and was friends with American country | 11 | | folk singers and songwriters John Prine and Steve Goodman; they | 12 | | later visited her store and shared their latest music with her | 13 | | and her patrons; her knowledge of music was encyclopedic and | 14 | | ran the gamut from classical to folk, choral to hip hop to | 15 | | opera and everything in between; her storytelling abilities | 16 | | were wide ranging, which made frequenting her establishment | 17 | | more than a shopping experience; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Throughout her nearly 46 years in business, Val | 19 | | Camilletti shaped thousands of lives through her passion for | 20 | | music; she was a great curator of music and promoter of | 21 | | musicians, including those who lived in her neighborhood; her | 22 | | enthusiasm for all things music and everything having to do | 23 | | with community was infectious; she welcomed musicians, | 24 | | especially high school students, to play in her shop; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti was lovingly referred to as the | 2 | | community therapist and was known for her loyalty and magnetic | 3 | | energy; she was someone people came to for advice or a shoulder | 4 | | to cry on; she was simultaneously demanding, hilarious, | 5 | | generous, passionate, charming, and boisterous; she had | 6 | | lifelong customers and employees who saw her as a friend and | 7 | | mentor, not a boss; she employed generations of kids who worked | 8 | | their first jobs at "Val's halla" and became part of her | 9 | | family; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti was in charge of the music during | 11 | | the May Madness street fests on Oak Park Avenue during the | 12 | | 1990s and early 2000s; she emceed the Church of Beethoven | 13 | | concerts at Open Door Theatre, spearheaded the annual | 14 | | "hallaPalooza" sale and music fest, where many came in from | 15 | | around the country to visit and volunteer, and penned a regular | 16 | | entertainment column and blog for the "Wednesday Journal"; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, In 2006, Val Camilletti moved "Val's halla" to 39 | 18 | | Harrison Street in the Oak Park Arts District; she was an arts | 19 | | district champion and became a vital member and later vice | 20 | | president of the Oak Park Arts District Business Association; | 21 | | and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti loved animals and was a huge |
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| 1 | | advocate for the Animal Care League for many years and emceed | 2 | | their annual auction; she loved golf and played at Columbus | 3 | | Park; she was also a morning regular at George's Restaurant in | 4 | | Oak Park; she was among the most recognized faces in Oak Park | 5 | | and was an institution and vibrant presence in the village for | 6 | | nearly 50 years; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti was preceded in death by her white | 8 | | German Shepherd, Halla; her yellow Lab mix, Loki; and her cat, | 9 | | Woden; her record store was, for many years, the daytime lounge | 10 | | for her Norse-named pals; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Val Camilletti is survived by her cat, Soot; and | 12 | | her many friends who miss her terribly and declare she will | 13 | | never be forgotten; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 16 | | Valda A. "Val" Camilletti and extend our sincere condolences to | 17 | | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 18 | | further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the family of Val Camilletti as an expression of | 21 | | our deepest sympathy.
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