Bill Text: IL SR0343 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of William Joseph Durka.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-05-31 - Resolution Adopted [SR0343 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-SR0343-Introduced.html
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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
| 3 | learn of the death of William Joseph Durka, who passed away on | ||||||
| 4 | May 12, 2013; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, William Durka was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to | ||||||
| 6 | Anthony and Mary Durka; he was raised in Waukegan and attended | ||||||
| 7 | Waukegan Township High School, graduating in 1939 as the | ||||||
| 8 | valedictorian of his class; he went to the University of | ||||||
| 9 | Chicago, earning his bachelors of arts in 1943 and his juris | ||||||
| 10 | doctor in 1944; he was an honor scholar and student marshal at | ||||||
| 11 | the University of Chicago, debate coach, editor of the law | ||||||
| 12 | review, elected to the Order of the Coif, and first in his | ||||||
| 13 | class; he served 2 years as research assistant to the | ||||||
| 14 | university president Robert M. Hutchins; he joined the U.S. | ||||||
| 15 | Navy to give talks in the Chicago area on how the home front | ||||||
| 16 | could aid the war effort during World War II; he married | ||||||
| 17 | Margaret Reichardt in 1950; she passed away in 1978 and he | ||||||
| 18 | married Nancy Weaver in 1981; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, William Durka began his law career in 1944 with | ||||||
| 20 | James Lawrence Fly, who had started a New York firm | ||||||
| 21 | specializing in communications law; he became a full partner in | ||||||
| 22 | 5 years; in 1956, he joined the General Electric Company, | ||||||
| 23 | retiring as the manager of G.E.'s International Trade Policy | ||||||
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| 1 | Operation; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, A highlight of William Durka's life was a 2-hour | ||||||
| 3 | meeting in June 1947 with Albert Einstein at his Princeton | ||||||
| 4 | home; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, William Durka was an avid reader and enjoyed | ||||||
| 6 | books, libraries, and discussing theories and ideas with | ||||||
| 7 | others; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, William Durka is survived by his wife, Nancy; his | ||||||
| 9 | daughter, Peggy; his stepdaughter, Phoebe Trachtenberg and her | ||||||
| 10 | husband, Gordon, and their 2 children, and many nieces and | ||||||
| 11 | nephews; therefore, be it
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| 12 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 13 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
| 14 | William Durka, and extend our sincere condolences to his | ||||||
| 15 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | ||||||
| 16 | further
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| 17 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 18 | presented to the family of William Durka as an expression of | ||||||
| 19 | our deepest sympathy.
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