Bill Text: IL HR1022 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of former Harwood Heights Mayor Ray Willas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-01-04 - Resolution Adopted [HR1022 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HR1022-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois General Assembly are | ||||||
3 | saddened
to learn of the death of former Harwood Heights Mayor | ||||||
4 | Ray Willas; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Mayor Willas was born to John and Agnes Willas on | ||||||
6 | March 17, 1932; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Mayor Willas was a student at St. Fidelis | ||||||
8 | Elementary School, Tuley High School, and Wright Junior | ||||||
9 | College; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Mayor Willas served his country as an engineer in | ||||||
11 | the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Korean War from 1952 | ||||||
12 | through 1954; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Mayor Willas worked in the private sector as the | ||||||
14 | finance director of C.F.S. Continental Coffee and L. Karp & | ||||||
15 | Sons; and
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16 | WHEREAS, In 1965, Mayor Willas moved to the Village of | ||||||
17 | Harwood Heights and received a parking ticket on his car in | ||||||
18 | front of his new home for not displaying a vehicle sticker, | ||||||
19 | which was dismissed after a heated discussion with the police | ||||||
20 | chief; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Mayor Willas previously served on the Harwood | ||||||
2 | Heights Zoning Board of Appeals for two years; in 1968, he was | ||||||
3 | appointed to a vacant Harwood Heights trustee's chair and was | ||||||
4 | elected to a full term as trustee in 1971; and
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5 | WHEREAS, In 1973, Mayor Willas was elected as mayor of | ||||||
6 | Harwood Heights and served in that position until his | ||||||
7 | retirement in 2001; and
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8 | WHEREAS, In addition to serving as mayor of Harwood | ||||||
9 | Heights, Mayor Willas also served as president of the | ||||||
10 | Leyden-Norwood Park Municipal League, president of the West | ||||||
11 | Central Municipal League, and as a member of the Illinois | ||||||
12 | Municipal League Board; and
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13 | WHEREAS, In 1986, Mayor Willas expressed to the Chicago | ||||||
14 | Tribune that being the mayor of a small village meant that "The | ||||||
15 | buck stops here. In a small town, people know who to call when | ||||||
16 | they have problems...And yes, it delays dinner sometimes, but | ||||||
17 | I've found what people usually need is just someone who's | ||||||
18 | willing to listen and help, if possible"; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Mayor Willas was married to his wife, Barbara, | ||||||
20 | for 64 years and was the father of Mary Kay Pawlak, the | ||||||
21 | father-in-law of Gary Pawlak, and the grandfather of Andrew, |
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1 | Brian (Diego), and Kaitlyn Pawlak; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
3 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
4 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we extend our hearts and | ||||||
5 | condolences to the family of former Harwood Heights Mayor Ray | ||||||
6 | Willas; and be it further
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7 | RESOLVED, That we recognize the decades of service, | ||||||
8 | commitment to community, and hard work that Mayor Willas | ||||||
9 | dedicated to his home of Harwood Heights, the "island in the | ||||||
10 | city", which he succeeded in making a great place to live; and | ||||||
11 | be it further
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12 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
13 | presented to Barbara Willas, Mary Kay Pawlak, Andrew Pawlak, | ||||||
14 | Brian Pawlak, and Kaitlyn Pawlak as an expression of our | ||||||
15 | deepest sympathy.
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