Full Text of HR0523 96th General Assembly
HR0523 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to honor milestones in the lives of | 4 |
| citizens of the State of Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita T. Picken, longtime Hyde Park resident, will | 6 |
| turn 90 on July 6, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita was born in Wausau, Wisconsin; she earned a | 8 |
| Bachelor of Arts degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of | 9 |
| Wisconsin in 1942 and a Master of Science degree from the | 10 |
| University of California, Los Angeles in 1968; and
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| WHEREAS, While teaching English for the two-year | 12 |
| University of Wisconsin Center in Kenosha, Rita and her late | 13 |
| husband, Dean Barnard Tallent, helped to establish the | 14 |
| four-year University of Wisconsin Parkside campus in Kenosha; | 15 |
| and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, Rita was elected Kenosha's Woman of the Year in | 17 |
| 1969; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1976, Rita married Robert F. Picken and moved | 19 |
| to Chicago, where her commitment to community activism | 20 |
| flourished; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita was particularly active with St. Thomas the | 2 |
| Apostle Parish; she was a member of the flower committee, | 3 |
| arranging flowers for masses and special events; she regularly | 4 |
| worked the candy booth at the Parish's Christmas Bazaar; she | 5 |
| also organized ethnic lunches at the church, promoting the | 6 |
| exchange of cultures among the diverse parishioners; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita served on the board of her family-owned | 8 |
| company, Peerless Confection Company, for almost 25 years; she | 9 |
| was known for being an active participant in the lives of the | 10 |
| employees and every year sent Christmas cards to each and every | 11 |
| one of the workers; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita was active with the Hyde Park Neighborhood | 13 |
| Club; she served on the board in the 1980s and was instrumental | 14 |
| in implementing programs such as the Good Neighbors Awards and | 15 |
| its service auctions, which raised money when volunteers | 16 |
| offered their services in exchange for donations to the Club; | 17 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Rita also volunteered her time with the University | 19 |
| of Chicago Service League, serving as the President from 1983 | 20 |
| to 1984; she was also active in the Service League's drama | 21 |
| group and its Chicago Commons program; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita has volunteered her time at the Oriental | 2 |
| Institute for over 30 years and has been a member of the | 3 |
| Visiting Committee since 1985; with the help of her daughter, | 4 |
| Kitty, she helped fund the Robert F. Picken Family Nubia | 5 |
| Gallery; she was also the creator of the Institute's Pyramid | 6 |
| Parties; on May 6 of this year Rita was named the 2009 Breasted | 7 |
| Medallion recipient at the Oriental Institute's 90th Jubilee | 8 |
| celebration; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita has always been a political activist; she was | 10 |
| an active member of the League of Women Voters in Wisconsin | 11 |
| and, after moving to Chicago, became active with the | 12 |
| Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct | 13 |
| Organization; she was often seen even on the worst of Chicago's | 14 |
| winter days passing out campaign literature, which led some | 15 |
| constituents to assume she was the mother of whichever | 16 |
| candidate it happened to be, as only a mother would be out in | 17 |
| weather like that; and
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| WHEREAS, Rita loves to garden, travel, attend the theater, | 19 |
| read, and spoil her pet dog, Maggie; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 21 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 22 |
| congratulate Rita T. Picken on her ninetieth birthday and wish | 23 |
| her many more; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 |
| presented to Rita T. Picken as a symbol of our affection, | 3 |
| gratitude, and respect.
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