SR0316 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0316 LRB103 32519 LAW 62084 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Larry Hagen of Oak Park, who passed away on April 26, 2022 at the age of 82; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on March 24, 1940; he attended the Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse, Wisconsin for high school and college, graduating in 1962; he spent one year at St. Paul Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota; he ultimately decided that priesthood was not for him and moved to Chicago, where he had spent summers working as a grave digger; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen had a chance meeting with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago in 1963, which was a seminal experience for him and one that he never tired of retelling; he became very involved in the civil rights movement, even following Dr. King to the March on Washington; and

WHEREAS, Following his move to Chicago, Larry Hagen started working as a high school teacher at a Catholic school for girls; he took part in improv theater and worked as a probation officer for the juvenile court system; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen pursued a Master of Social Work at the University of Chicago, where he met Mary McGuirk, whom he married at the University of Chicago's Bond Chapel on September, 6, 1975; they moved to Oak Park in 1977 and had two daughters, Erica and Alyssa; and

WHEREAS, Following the birth of his first daughter in 1977, Larry Hagen attended night school at Chicago-Kent College of Law and then began his private legal practice; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen spent most of his legal career in immigration law and often took on difficult political asylum cases; he was able to obtain residency for many people fleeing from persecution in Africa, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere; despite his challenging career, he maintained his sense of humor and remained easygoing; and

WHEREAS, Post-retirement, Larry Hagen spent his time as a part-time lecturer in Cultural Diversity at Lewis University; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen was a proud resident of Oak Park, calling the village home for 45 years; he was a lifelong reader who was a member of Oak Park's longest-running book club; he also enjoyed singing at the St. Giles Family Mass as well as other choirs; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen loved telling stories from his life, the civil rights era, and Chicago's social and political history; he also loved genealogy and visited Norway and Sweden to meet his extended family; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen was always ready to be his daughters' cheerleader in their pursuits and embraced his role as grandfather when he welcomed the first of three grandchildren in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Larry Hagen was the husband of Mary (McGuirk) Hagen; the father of Erica (Mikel Maron) Hagen and Alyssa (Jonathan Sparling) Hagen; the grandfather of Ruby, River, and Luna; and the brother of Terry (Darlene) and Marilyn Revelli; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Larry Hagen and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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