Full Text of SR0478 102nd General Assembly
SR0478 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Esther R. Cohen of Peoria, who passed | 4 | | away on August 14, 2021; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Esther Cohen was born to Solomon Rotenberg and | 6 | | Anne Sokol Rotenberg on September 28, 1930; she attended high | 7 | | school in Newton, Massachusetts; she earned her degree in Art | 8 | | History from Smith College in 1952; she was among the first 50 | 9 | | women to graduate from Harvard Business School in 1953; she | 10 | | married Robert Cohen in 1956, and they moved to Peoria with | 11 | | their daughter, Sheryl, in 1958; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, After her father's unexpected death, Esther Cohen | 13 | | ran her father's real estate property management business in | 14 | | Boston in the 1950s; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, After she moved to Peoria, Esther Cohen began a | 16 | | lifetime of tireless contributions to art and culture in | 17 | | Peoria; she created and chaired the Peoria Civic Opera, later | 18 | | Opera Illinois, bringing world-class opera to Peoria for | 19 | | decades; she served on the boards of Opera Guild | 20 | | International, the Illinois Arts Alliance, Eureka College, | 21 | | Heartland Festival Orchestra, and The Peoria Women's Club; she | 22 | | chaired the Peoria Art Guild and the Fine Art Fair; she served |
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| 1 | | as chair of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, where she created | 2 | | the then-largest annual fundraiser, Hammerama; she also served | 3 | | as the president of the YWCA Board, chair of the YWCA Capital | 4 | | Campaign, and co-chair of YWCA Lakeview; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Esther Cohen was a member and chair of the Youth | 6 | | Farm League, now part of the Children's Home Association of | 7 | | Illinois, for decades; she was a lifelong conservationist and | 8 | | believed deeply in historic preservation; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Esther Cohen was recognized as a 2021 Local | 10 | | Legend by Peoria Magazines in July 2021; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Esther Cohen was known for her endless, unerring | 12 | | natural instinct of finding people's strengths while having | 13 | | compassion for their weaknesses; she breathed the essence of | 14 | | what was possible in all her family, friends, and the | 15 | | important ideas she championed; she will be sorely missed; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Esther Cohen is survived by her children, Sheryl | 17 | | (Michael Bork) Cohen, Les (Melissa) Cohen, and Jennifer Cohen; | 18 | | her grandchildren, Julian Cohen and Livia Cohen; her brothers, | 19 | | Michael (Karen) Rotenberg and Charles Rotenberg; and her many | 20 | | nieces and nephews; therefore, be it
| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL |
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| 1 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 2 | | Esther R. Cohen and extend our sincere condolences to her | 3 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 4 | | further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | presented to the family of Esther Cohen as an expression of our | 7 | | deepest sympathy.
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