Full Text of SR0698 103rd General Assembly
SR0698 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0698 | | LRB103 36812 LAW 66923 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of John Meinert, who passed away on | 4 | | December 30, 2023; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert was born in White Cloud, Michigan on | 6 | | August 11, 1927; he began working at age 12, contributing | 7 | | financial support to his mother, baby twin sisters, and | 8 | | brother through a variety of jobs, including ranch hand, | 9 | | grocery clerk, typesetter, and clothing salesman; he graduated | 10 | | high school as valedictorian at age 16 and received a | 11 | | scholarship to the University of Michigan; he was drafted in | 12 | | the U.S. Army, serving from 1945 to 1946; he concluded his | 13 | | studies at Northwestern University in 1949, earning his | 14 | | Bachelor of Science and his certified public accountant (CPA) | 15 | | license; he was drafted again and served as a sergeant in the | 16 | | U.S. Army Reserves from 1955 to 1958; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert's notable professional | 18 | | accomplishments started in 1950 at premier clothing retailer | 19 | | Hart Schaffner & Marx, later known as the Hartmarx | 20 | | Corporation, where he moved up the ranks over 40 years to | 21 | | become chairman of the board; he became chairman emeritus in | 22 | | 1990; he then started a new 22-year career as a principal at | 23 | | J.H. Chapman Group LLC, a Chicago investment banking firm, |
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| 1 | | retiring as chairman in 2012 at age 85; he also worked as an | 2 | | arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert contributed to the accounting | 4 | | profession in a number of ways; he educated accounting | 5 | | students at Northwestern University and served as a faculty | 6 | | member at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management; he | 7 | | served as president of the Illinois CPA Society, serving two | 8 | | terms on the board of directors, and on numerous committees | 9 | | with the American Institute of CPAs, where he ultimately | 10 | | served as vice president; he also wrote a column in the Journal | 11 | | of Accountancy for many years and was a longtime member of the | 12 | | Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council of the | 13 | | Financial Accounting Standards Board; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert donated his time to numerous | 15 | | endeavors and volunteer positions, including the Evanston | 16 | | Hospital Board, Northwestern University's John Evans Club, the | 17 | | Better Business Bureau, the Duncan YMCA, and the Chicagoland | 18 | | Chamber of Commerce; he served as president and later chairman | 19 | | of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of the USA from 1982 | 20 | | to 1990; he was a trustee of the Amalgamated Insurance Fund and | 21 | | the Rotary International Retirement Fund; he served with the | 22 | | Leadership Circle Advisory Council for Northwestern | 23 | | University's Kellogg School of Management and chaired the | 24 | | University of Illinois Gies College of Business Advisory |
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| 1 | | Council; he was president of Rotary International, where he | 2 | | insistently advised on the worldwide inclusion of women, | 3 | | before becoming a foundation trustee and an assistant district | 4 | | governor, completing this service in 2000; he later served on | 5 | | the Chicago Council for Foreign Relations and Chicago Sister | 6 | | Cities International; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert accrued many accolades and honors, | 8 | | including the Gold Medal from the American Institute of | 9 | | Certified Public Accountants for Distinguished Service in | 10 | | 1987, the Alumni Merit Award from the Kellogg School of | 11 | | Management at Northwestern University in 1989, and the Public | 12 | | Service Award from the Illinois CPA Society in 1996; in | 13 | | recognition for his wide-ranging civic work, he was named | 14 | | Chicago Humanitarian of the Year by the Five Hospital | 15 | | Foundation in 1995; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert was a member of Community | 17 | | Presbyterian Church, The University Club of Chicago, and the | 18 | | Rolling Green Country Club, all in the Chicago area, until he | 19 | | moved to Davenport, Iowa; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert was a dependable and family-focused | 21 | | person, engendering intense loyalty from others despite his | 22 | | demanding and driven nature; he will be remembered for his | 23 | | brilliance of mind, sheer force of will, spectacular energy, |
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| 1 | | and stewardship; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert was preceded in death by his wife of | 3 | | 50 years, Ruth Joyce Meinert; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, John Meinert is survived by his daughters, | 5 | | Elizabeth (Scott) Tinsman and Pamela Martin; his sisters, | 6 | | Arlene (Horst) Lichtenberger, Darlene (Tom) Rinehart, and | 7 | | Richard (Dorothy) Reynolds; seven grandchildren; three | 8 | | great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews; therefore, | 9 | | be it | 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 11 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 12 | | John Meinert and extend our sincere condolences to his family, | 13 | | friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further | 14 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 15 | | presented to the family of John Meinert as an expression of our | 16 | | deepest sympathy. |
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