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1
SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of James J. Goodreau, who passed away on
4April 27, 2008; and
5 WHEREAS, He was born in Chicago on August 9, 1921, the son
6of the late Francis and Ethel Goodreau; he was the eldest of 4
7children; as a young man in Chicago during the depression, he
8delivered telegrams by bicycle for Western Union; and
9 WHEREAS, He attended St. Ignatius High School in Chicago,
10where he excelled in sports; he attended Xavier University in
11Cincinnati, Ohio, on a football scholarship; as a starting
12halfback in 1941, Xavier University went 9 and 1, losing only
13to Kentucky; and
14 WHEREAS, With the onset of World War II, he was drafted
15into the United States Army; he served in the Army Signal Corps
16and Army Air Corps; he was commissioned on April 1, 1942 as an
17April Fools lieutenant; he served in combat in the Pacific
18Theater on Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Okinawa; he was awarded a
19Bronze Star for heroism; at the end of the war, he chose to
20remain on active duty as one of the first officers in the Air
21Force; and

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1 WHEREAS, He served for 24 years with the Strategic Air
2Command; in his last 4 years of active duty, he served with the
3Military Assistance Advisor Group in China during the Vietnam
4War and finished his 28-year career with the Armed Forces
5Communications Service; during his career, he was awarded many
6medals and citations, including the Air Force Commendation
7Medal and the Joint Chief of Staff Commendation Medal; and
8 WHEREAS, He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the
9University of Pittsburgh while on active duty; he was fluent in
10English and Spanish and had a working knowledge of Mandarin; in
111970, he retired from the Air Force and returned to Chicago,
12where he worked for Tropical Radio and Telegraph until he again
13retired in 1985; and
14 WHEREAS, After retiring, he served as a lector at St. Luke
15Church in River Forest and as a Eucharistic minister; he also
16volunteered at West Lake Hospital in Melrose Park; he and his
17beloved wife traveled the world together visiting many
18countries on 6 continents; and
19 WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his parents; and his
20sister, Kay Sullivan; his wife, Alice Suzanne Goodreau, passed
21away in 2011; and
22 WHEREAS, James Goodreau is survived by his 5 children,

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1Alice Suzanne Meyers, (wife of Dr. Stephen), Dr. Joseph Francis
2Goodreau, (husband of Diane), Richard David Goodreau, Mary
3Elizabeth Anderson, (wife of Donald), and Dr. James J.
4Goodreau, (husband of Susan); his 9 grandchildren; and 7
5great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
6 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
7ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
8his family and friends, the passing of James Goodreau; and be
9it further
10 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of James Goodreau as a symbol of our
12sincere sympathy.