SR0748 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0748 LRB096 21841 KXB 39776 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Michael B. Ryan of Peoria, who passed away on April 3, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Michael B. Ryan was born August 20, 1936, in Chicago, to Walter J. and Mary Beecher Ryan; he married Maria Chantal Wiesman on June 1, 1963, in Buffalo, New York; and

WHEREAS, He served as regional attorney for the National Labor Relations Board Peoria Region from 1974 until his retirement in 1991; he was a trial attorney in the region, serving downstate Illinois and eastern Iowa from 1966-1974, and served as chairman of the NLRB Regional Attorneys Guild from 1982-1988; from 1968-1971, he served as president of the NLRB Union, representing all agency non-supervisory employees in the United States; after his retirement, he served as an independent arbitrator of labor disputes; and

WHEREAS, He was a member of the Peoria City Planning Commission from 1977-1989, serving as elected chairman of that body from 1979-1989; he was also a member of the Tri-County Land Use Advisory Committee; he chaired many annexation hearings, and also served on several ad-hoc city commissions to which he was appointed by mayors Carver, Neumiller, and Maloof; prior to his appointment to the Planning Commission, he had been founder and president of the North Sterling Homeowners Association; and

WHEREAS, He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, where he served as a member and officer on the Parish Council and Parish School Board, and was a lector and Eucharistic minister; he also served as a parish delegate to the Diocesan Synod; for many years he served as an officer and director of the Peoria Notre Dame Club, and served twice as a member of the University of Notre Dame Alumni Senate; he was named Notre Dame Man of the Year in 1980; and

WHEREAS, He received a B.S. in labor relations from Manhattan College in 1957, and a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1964; he was a member of the editorial board of the Law Review and a moot court champion at Notre Dame; he was a White House intern in the summer of 1963; and he has been included in "Who's Who in America" since 1968; and

WHEREAS, He served in the United States Army from 1958-1961, including 14 months in the Korean Theater, where he was an artillery forward observer; he was president of the Catholic Interracial Council of Peoria, and a member of the Knights of Columbus Spalding Council 427; he was very active in several Heart of Illinois United Way campaigns, chairing the Combined Federal Campaign portion of that fundraising drive, and serving on the coordinating committee; and

WHEREAS, After retirement, he and his wife spent several winters in their condominium in Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii; they also took trips to Europe, most notably Ireland and Italy, and cruises to Alaska and Central America; and

WHEREAS, Michael Ryan is survived by his wife, Maria; his two daughters, Mary (Jeffery) Bolton and Catherine Cameron; and his son, Matthew (Laura); his six grandchildren, Jasmine and Jared Cameron, Jacob, Jessica, and Charles Bolton, and Sebastian Ryan; his brother, Thomas (Renee); his brother-in-law, Hugh Wiesman (Michaelene); his niece; and his three nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Michael Ryan; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Michael Ryan as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.