SR0719 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0719 LRB101 14555 ALS 63457 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Nancy L. Hughes, a dedicated philanthropist and longtime resident of Lake Forest, who passed away on on September 15, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Hughes was born in Chicago to Henry and Naomi Ludwig on April 22, 1951; she was raised in Northbrook and attended Glenbrook North High School, where she met fellow student John Wilden Hughes Jr.; they married in 1970; their lives were steeped in music, and they enjoyed rock concerts in the 1960s and nights in Chicago blues and reggae clubs in the 1970s and 1980s; the young couple worked a series of odd jobs, briefly lived in Arizona, and settled in Glencoe in the 1970s before moving to Los Angeles, where they lived from 1984 until 1988; and

WHEREAS, Whether Nancy and her husband were living on the North Shore or in the movie colonies of California, she created homes that were a refuge against shifting Hollywood loyalties and box-office receipts; she filled them with good food, lively music, and fun card games; if asked, she offered down-to-earth advice for guests of all ages; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Hughes was her husband's inspiration and most-trusted advisor; she endorsed her husband's career move from advertising to screenwriting, and his films told stories comprised of observations from their lives and shared experiences in towns like Northbrook, Glencoe, and Northfield; and

WHEREAS, After her husband's death, Nancy Hughes ensured their legacy would be remembered; the John & Nancy Hughes Theater at the Gorton Community Center, the John & Nancy Hughes Clubhouse at the Deerpath Golf Course in Lake Forest, the Hughes Auditorium at the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center of Northwestern University in Chicago, and the Hughes Gateway at Forest Park Beach are symbols of her decades of charitable contributions to the community; she generously donated to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, where the John & Nancy Hughes Pavilion is located; her former home on Westminster Avenue, where her family lived from 1988 until 2009 and where her husband wrote Home Alone, was donated to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital in 2014; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Hughes will be remembered as an enthusiastic, kind, and generous woman who deeply loved her family and community; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Hughes was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Janice; and her husband, John; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Hughes is survived by her sons, John III (Ruta) Hughes and James (Tracy) Hughes; and her grandchildren, Katelyn, Wil, Livia, and Henry; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Nancy L. Hughes and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Nancy Hughes as an expression of our deepest sympathy.