Bill Text: IL SR0980 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Thomas A. "Tom" Hernandez of Plainfield.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-05-17 - Resolution Adopted [SR0980 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-SR0980-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 Thomas A. "Tom" Hernandez of | ||||||
4 | Plainfield, who passed away on April 15, 2024; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was born to Danna and Anthony Paul | ||||||
6 | Hernandez on January 16, 1966; he attended F.E. Marsh | ||||||
7 | Elementary School, Gompers Junior High School, and Joliet East | ||||||
8 | High School, and he graduated from Joliet Central High School | ||||||
9 | in 1984; he received a Bachelor of Science from Lewis | ||||||
10 | University in 1988; and
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11 | WHEREAS, For over 35 years, Tom Hernandez worked as a | ||||||
12 | communications and marketing professional in a variety of | ||||||
13 | areas, including traditional journalism, public relations, | ||||||
14 | private-sector marketing, and public speaking; he was a | ||||||
15 | regular correspondent for The Herald-News in Joliet from 1986 | ||||||
16 | to 1988, a reporter for The Beacon-News from 1988 to 1992, a | ||||||
17 | reporter and editor for the Pioneer Press from 1992 to 1996, | ||||||
18 | and a weekly columnist for the Plainfield Sun from 1998 to | ||||||
19 | 2009; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez then served as a communications | ||||||
21 | specialist for the Illinois State Board of Education from 1996 | ||||||
22 | to 2001 and as director of community relations at St. Charles |
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1 | Community Unit School District 303 from 2001 to 2006; he spent | ||||||
2 | most of his career as director of community relations at | ||||||
3 | Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, where | ||||||
4 | he worked from 2006 to 2023; during his tenure, he managed and | ||||||
5 | produced all internal and external communications for the | ||||||
6 | fifth largest school district in Illinois, including all | ||||||
7 | regular and crisis communications and special projects, and | ||||||
8 | served as the district's media and community liaison; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was a highly sought-after emcee for | ||||||
10 | many events, including a poetry anthology unveiling at the | ||||||
11 | Plainfield Public Library District and District 202's CAPE | ||||||
12 | Awards; he also served as a keynote speaker for the inaugural | ||||||
13 | Nolan and Gloria McCants Scholarship program; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was a member of the former Great | ||||||
15 | Read community literacy program and a founding member of the | ||||||
16 | Plainfield School District 202 Foundation for Excellence; he | ||||||
17 | was a past member of United Way of Will County, where he | ||||||
18 | formerly served as secretary, treasurer, and board chair, and | ||||||
19 | he also served in the Education Division and on the Program & | ||||||
20 | Allocations Committee; he was also instrumental in creating | ||||||
21 | United Way's 2-1-1 Will County, a free, multilingual, and | ||||||
22 | confidential 24-hour information and referral service on | ||||||
23 | health and human services in Will County; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was a member of the Illinois | ||||||
2 | chapter of the National School Public Relations Association | ||||||
3 | (NSPRA), and he was named a Distinguished Communicator in 2018 | ||||||
4 | and received an Award of Excellence in 2020 for D202 Talks: A | ||||||
5 | Conversation with D202'S First Director of Digital Learning | ||||||
6 | and Innovation; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was the co-leader of WriteOn | ||||||
8 | Joliet, a welcoming, diverse group of writers of varied | ||||||
9 | skills, interests, and experience, and he contributed to all | ||||||
10 | eight anthologies the group produced; he also authored several | ||||||
11 | books, including Chocolate Cows and Purple Cheese, and Other | ||||||
12 | Tales from the Homefront in 2009, Abundance in 2012, The Edge | ||||||
13 | of Middle - Thoughts from the Top of the Hill in 2017, The | ||||||
14 | Acorn Wars in 2019, The Weekly Fruit and Vegetable Report in | ||||||
15 | 2020, and Brothers: and Other Stories in 2021; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez valued his faith and family above | ||||||
17 | all else; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez was preceded in death by his | ||||||
19 | father; his uncle, Ray Hernandez; his grandparents, Charmaine | ||||||
20 | Hurt, Epifanio Hernandez, and Felisa Hernandez; and his aunts, | ||||||
21 | Eudella Asa, Elvira Ibarra, and Catherine Hernandez; and
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22 | WHEREAS, Tom Hernandez is survived by his wife of 34 |
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1 | years, Kellie (Madison) Hernandez; his daughters, Emma (Jake) | ||||||
2 | Williams and Olivia (Tyler) Mueller; his granddaughter, Riley | ||||||
3 | Williams; his mother, Danna (Robert Jensby) Hernandez; his | ||||||
4 | brothers, Tim Hernandez and Paul (Kari) Hernandez; his | ||||||
5 | parents-in-law, Jim Madison and Lynn Madison; his | ||||||
6 | sister-in-law, Amy (Earl Amos) Madison; his aunt-in-law, Jeri | ||||||
7 | Madison; his nieces and nephews, Alexandra, Francesca, | ||||||
8 | Anthony, Mickinzie, Alexander, Alyse, Garrit, Emmitt, and | ||||||
9 | Wyitt; and his nephew and godson, Ayden; therefore, be it
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10 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
11 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
12 | Thomas A. "Tom" Hernandez and extend our sincere condolences | ||||||
13 | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | ||||||
14 | it further
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