Full Text of SR0243 96th General Assembly
SR0243 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of John Szilage of Batavia, who passed away | 4 |
| on March 29, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, He was born March 9, 1911 in Aurora, the second | 6 |
| child of George and Mary Szilage; he grew up on Pigeon Hill, | 7 |
| Aurora's east side, next to St. Michael's church; a child of | 8 |
| The Great Depression, he and his family were among Aurora's | 9 |
| most industrious early citizens; in 1934, he married his high | 10 |
| school sweetheart, Marian; and
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| WHEREAS, During the 1930s John worked as a soda jerk at the | 12 |
| Elite Confectionary on South Broadway, "Where no sodas on | 13 |
| Sunday gave birth to Sundaes"; he also sold hot dogs at the | 14 |
| North Aurora Fair Grounds; during World War II, John worked as | 15 |
| a tool maker at the Buick Aviation Plant, Lyon Metal Products, | 16 |
| and Haberle Engineering; after the war, John and two of his | 17 |
| five brothers became founding partners of the General Tool | 18 |
| Manufacturing Company and later, Ballco Manufacturing in | 19 |
| Aurora, of which he was president; and
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| WHEREAS, His companies produced precision quality metal | 21 |
| ball valves for numerous applications, including security for | 22 |
| the United States government on the Polaris missile, a |
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| submarine-launched, two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed | 2 |
| ballistic missile built by Lockheed; Ballco also made the first | 3 |
| prototype for a hip bone replacement in the late 1960s; the | 4 |
| three brothers were business partners for 40 years; Ballco | 5 |
| Manufacturing was sold in the mid-80s; he owned and expanded | 6 |
| the Lincoln Inn on Lake Street, Route 31; he and his wife owned | 7 |
| the estate at 495 North Lake Street, known as Plum Landing, as | 8 |
| a personal residence from 1951 to 1961 before it was | 9 |
| transformed into a retirement community; and he also owned and | 10 |
| raised winning harness horses that raced at Sportsman's Park | 11 |
| and across the country; his most famous stallion, "Tricky Dick | 12 |
| N", was a nationally well-known trotter so powerful and | 13 |
| consistent a winner that ultimately John retired him because he | 14 |
| could not find any other horses willing to race against the | 15 |
| steed; and
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| WHEREAS, He was active in the State and national Republican | 17 |
| Party as a major fundraiser and donor, and he and his wife | 18 |
| attended the inaugurals for President Ronald Reagan and | 19 |
| Illinois Governor Jim Thompson; he was a member of the Elks | 20 |
| Club and Moose Lodge in North Aurora, The Anvil Club in East | 21 |
| Dundee, and The Erickson Club in Elgin; he loved to travel and | 22 |
| he and his wife dined with Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of | 23 |
| Monaco, traveled extensively throughout Europe, and cruised in | 24 |
| Alaska; his favorite stop was Las Vegas, where he was | 25 |
| well-known and counted hotelier Steve Wynn as a friend; and
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| WHEREAS, He knew Walter Payton, former Republican House | 2 |
| Speaker Dennis Hastert, Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham, and | 3 |
| a host of local civic leaders past and present; he was a | 4 |
| community leader, advisor, coach, and philosopher; he loved | 5 |
| fine food, wine, music, dancing, deep sea fishing, gaming, and | 6 |
| horse racing; and
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| WHEREAS, John Szilage was preceded in death by his wife of | 8 |
| 74 years, Marian (nee Garman); his brothers, George, Louis, and | 9 |
| Steve Szilage; his sister, Mary Fox, nee Szilage; his parents, | 10 |
| George and Mary (nee Borlan) Szilage; his son-in-law, John | 11 |
| Sipple; and many loving friends and colleagues; and
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| WHEREAS, He is survived by his daughter, Marian Jeannie | 13 |
| Sipple Love (nee Szilage); his granddaughters, Heather M. Love | 14 |
| Wroblewski (nee Sipple) and Kathy Henry (nee Love); his | 15 |
| grandsons, Rick and Mark Love; his great-grandchildren, Morgan | 16 |
| Wroblewski, Danica and Jim Henry, Taylor Love, and Josh Love; | 17 |
| his youngest brother, Tom Szilage; his nieces and nephews, | 18 |
| George, John and Tom Szilage, Sherry Szilage Stoffel, Pam | 19 |
| Szilage Moser, Billie Diane Fox Mills, Mary Candace Fox Evans, | 20 |
| Steve Szilage, Sally Szilage Cleveland, Sharon Szilage, Jeff | 21 |
| Szilage, and Debbie Szilage Herdrich; and his special niece, | 22 |
| Joni Szilage Roscoe; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 2 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 3 |
| his family and friends, the passing of John Szilage; and be it | 4 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 |
| presented to the family of John Szilage as a symbol of our | 7 |
| sincere sympathy.
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