Bill Text: IL SR0562 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Robert William Haisman of Oak Park.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-11-09 - Resolution Adopted [SR0562 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SR0562-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
3 | to learn of the death of Robert William "Bob" Haisman of Oak | ||||||
4 | Park, who passed away on September 2, 2023 at the age of 77; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman was born in Chicago on October 7, | ||||||
7 | 1945; he grew up in Berwyn, and his childhood was filled with | ||||||
8 | playing outside and spending time with friends; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman spent the Saturdays of his childhood | ||||||
10 | working with his father, Louis, who was a strong union | ||||||
11 | activist and worked for the Sunbeam Corporation; at an early | ||||||
12 | age, he also began accompanying his mother, Mildred, on | ||||||
13 | political errands, which ranged from raising awareness of | ||||||
14 | Democratic candidates to ringing doorbells to ask for support; | ||||||
15 | and
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16 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman loved learning; when he was in fifth | ||||||
17 | grade, a teacher called his parents and encouraged them to | ||||||
18 | send him to college, so they made it their mission to do so; | ||||||
19 | and
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20 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman attended Morton West High School and | ||||||
21 | graduated in 1963 at the age of 17; his summer job that year |
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1 | was working in the American Federation of Labor and Congress | ||||||
2 | of Industrial Organizations' Chicago headquarters, where he | ||||||
3 | saw a flier for a bus to attend the March on Washington for | ||||||
4 | Jobs and Freedom; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman took the 19-hour bus ride to | ||||||
6 | Washington, D.C., his first visit to the nation's capital, and | ||||||
7 | heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech | ||||||
8 | in-person, an experience that moved him profoundly and spoke | ||||||
9 | to his core belief that all men are created equal; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman attended Morton Junior College for | ||||||
11 | two years; he then enrolled at Illinois State University; in | ||||||
12 | 1968, he graduated with both a bachelor's degree and a | ||||||
13 | master's degree; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman was hired shortly after his | ||||||
15 | graduation to teach history at Hinsdale South High School, | ||||||
16 | making many lifelong friends with fellow teachers and | ||||||
17 | cultivating positive relationships with his students who | ||||||
18 | affectionately nicknamed him "Hais"; and
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19 | WHEREAS, When he began working, Bob Haisman immediately | ||||||
20 | joined the Hinsdale High School Teachers' Association, | ||||||
21 | starting his lifelong commitment to fighting for the rights of | ||||||
22 | students and teachers; during his over 30-year career at |
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1 | Hinsdale, he helped organize events to raise money for student | ||||||
2 | activities and became a leader in every fight for better | ||||||
3 | working conditions and wages for school staff; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman took a six-year leave from teaching | ||||||
5 | to serve two terms as president of the Illinois Education | ||||||
6 | Association; he worked tirelessly with Executive Director Clay | ||||||
7 | Marquardt to create a positive framework for serving districts | ||||||
8 | across the State; during this time, he lobbied then-State | ||||||
9 | Senator Barack Obama, urging him to support various bills that | ||||||
10 | aimed to improve education quality in Illinois; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman loved working with students, and | ||||||
12 | teaching showcased his heart and soul; his sense of humor, | ||||||
13 | work ethic, and treatment of his students as young adults, not | ||||||
14 | children, guaranteed that he was a hit; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman continued working hard later in life, | ||||||
16 | focusing on a number of issues, including social justice, | ||||||
17 | poverty, hunger, gun violence, and more; his allegiance to | ||||||
18 | liberal activism and causes was demonstrated in his work as a | ||||||
19 | precinct captain for State Senator Phil Rock and his work with | ||||||
20 | State Senator Don Harmon and the Democratic Party of Oak Park, | ||||||
21 | where he inspired and encouraged many and served as the | ||||||
22 | longtime leader of the Farmer's Market crew; he had an | ||||||
23 | extensive history of volunteering for former President Barack |
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1 | Obama, helping with his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, his 2008 | ||||||
2 | presidential campaign, and his 2012 re-election campaign; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman and his wife, Janet, loved sharing | ||||||
4 | holiday and travel experiences with their nieces and nephews, | ||||||
5 | which included an overland trip from Germany to Russia, a | ||||||
6 | safari experience in Tanzania, and a visit to Australia; for | ||||||
7 | their 40th wedding anniversary, celebrated in July of 2023, he | ||||||
8 | and Janet took an Ohio River cruise; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman greeted life with gusto and never | ||||||
10 | stopped his pursuit of knowledge; as a champion for the rights | ||||||
11 | and responsibilities of students and teachers, a good | ||||||
12 | listener, and a loyal friend, he will be missed in | ||||||
13 | unforeseeable ways; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman was preceded in death by his parents; | ||||||
15 | his brother, Wayne; his brother-in-law, David; his | ||||||
16 | sister-in-law, Grace; and many friends; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Bob Haisman is survived by his wife; his nephews | ||||||
18 | and their families, Dale (DeDe, Chris, and Caitlin) and Brett | ||||||
19 | (Tammie, Shannon, and Sam); his former sisters-in-law, Diane | ||||||
20 | and Margie; his brother-in-law, Jack Knowles and his children | ||||||
21 | and their families, Jacqui (Trish), Ben (Elizabeth and | ||||||
22 | Maisie), and Rachel (Ashley, Kenzie, and Claire); and his |
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1 | brother-in-law David's children, Juliet (Sage, Lindsey, and | ||||||
2 | Autumn) and Adam (Alma, Camila, and Victoria); therefore, be | ||||||
3 | it
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4 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
5 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
6 | Robert William "Bob" Haisman and extend our sincere | ||||||
7 | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | ||||||
8 | him; and be it further
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