Full Text of HR0426 102nd General Assembly
HR0426 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Sondra | 4 | | Regina Gash of Maplewood, New Jersey, who passed away on July | 5 | | 18, 2021; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was born in Paterson, New Jersey in | 7 | | 1934; she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania; she | 8 | | met Ira Gash when they both worked at the New Jersey | 9 | | Rehabilitation Commission in Newark, and they married in 1958; | 10 | | and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was a poet, a writer, an intuitive | 12 | | and insightful teacher, and a compassionate mentor to | 13 | | countless poets and writers; she taught writing skills at | 14 | | Rutgers University and coordinated the poetry program at the | 15 | | Women's Resource Center in Summit, New Jersey, and her home in | 16 | | Tewksbury was the site of many lively poetry readings; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was a board member of the American | 18 | | Labor Museum, which was founded by her father, Sol Stetin, who | 19 | | was the International President of the Textile Workers Union | 20 | | of America; she was active with the Americans for Democratic | 21 | | Action and the local Fair Housing Committee; her activism led | 22 | | her to become a Democratic Party representative for her area |
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| 1 | | later in life; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was the author of Silk Elegy, a | 3 | | collection of linked poems about a young girl from an | 4 | | immigrant family whose life is disrupted by her mother's | 5 | | illness, and Suit and Dress, a semi-autobiographical poetry | 6 | | collection about the emotional spheres of work and home; her | 7 | | poems and articles have appeared in many publications, | 8 | | including Poets and Writers, The New York Times, Paterson | 9 | | Literary Review, Calyx, and US 1 Worksheets; her play What | 10 | | Knife is Sharp Enough, co-authored with Carol Goodman, had a | 11 | | staged reading in Manassas, Virginia with Upstart Crow | 12 | | Productions; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash was a finalist for the 2003 Paterson | 14 | | Poetry Prize and was a recipient of fellowships from the New | 15 | | Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Corporation of Yaddo, | 16 | | the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the Virginia Center for | 17 | | the Creative Arts; she was awarded a grant in Creative Writing | 18 | | from the Puffin Foundation; she was a featured reader and | 19 | | teacher at the Dodge Poetry Festival in Waterloo, New Jersey; | 20 | | and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash will be remembered for her passion | 22 | | for social justice and her love of travel, jazz, food, and | 23 | | family; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Sondra Gash is survived by her husband of 63 | 2 | | years, Dr. Ira Gash; her sister, Myra Levine; her daughters, | 3 | | Lauren Beth Gash (Gregg Garmisa) and Amy Gash (Stephen | 4 | | Churchville); and her grandchildren, Sarah Gash Garmisa, Ben | 5 | | Gash Garmisa, and Nick Becker; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 7 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 8 | | we mourn the passing of Sondra Regina Gash and extend our | 9 | | sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew | 10 | | and loved her; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of Sondra Gash as an expression of our | 13 | | deepest sympathy.
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