Bill Text: IL SR1326 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Mary Therese Donnelly.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-12-01 - Resolution Adopted [SR1326 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SR1326-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
3 | to learn of the death of Mary Therese "Tesse" Donnelly, who | ||||||
4 | passed away on January 4, 2022 at the age of 91; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly was born on October 20, 1930 to | ||||||
6 | Vincent and Theresa McNulty Hartigan and lived in St. Louis | ||||||
7 | with her younger siblings Vincent Emmet and Helen Patrice | ||||||
8 | Hartigan; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly attended Fontbonne College until | ||||||
10 | she transferred to the College of New Rochelle in New York; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly was an active member of the Young | ||||||
12 | Christian Students and the National Students Association, | ||||||
13 | serving as Chair of the latter's Missouri-Kansas region in | ||||||
14 | 1949; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly continued her education at the | ||||||
16 | University of Chicago, studying under Yves Simon and earning | ||||||
17 | her master's degree in history; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly was the only woman enrolled in the | ||||||
19 | University of Chicago's graduate history program at the time; | ||||||
20 | and
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1 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly and her future husband, William J. | ||||||
2 | Donnelly, met during her time at the University of Chicago | ||||||
3 | and, at the time of his death in 2016, they had been married | ||||||
4 | nearly 60 years; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly and her husband led a household of | ||||||
6 | five children in Oak Park; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly worked vigorously for racial | ||||||
8 | integration, open housing, and the Fair Housing Ordinance, | ||||||
9 | which, in May 1968, culminated in its passage in Oak Park; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly worked with women to foster their | ||||||
11 | mutual flourishing in groups and organizations, including the | ||||||
12 | La Leche League, the Lauds Prayer Group, and Limina, a women's | ||||||
13 | spirituality organization; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly served as president on the board | ||||||
15 | of the C.G. Jung Institute in Evanston; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly helped to found the Experimental | ||||||
17 | Program at Oak Park River Forest High School and Arbor West | ||||||
18 | Neighbors; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly made sure that as often as her |
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1 | activism drew her from the home into the world that she would | ||||||
2 | also bring the world into her home; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly and her husband Bill would invite | ||||||
4 | guests to join them for gatherings characterized by ritual and | ||||||
5 | song; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly, a founding member of the St. | ||||||
7 | Giles Family Mass Community in 1971, hosted numerous meetings | ||||||
8 | and, on occasion, mass in her home; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly was an avid organic gardener and | ||||||
10 | delighted in visits from all manner of birds to her | ||||||
11 | always-full birdfeeder; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly treasured her neighbors on Forest | ||||||
13 | Avenue and was involved in planning annual block parties, | ||||||
14 | attending her last one in the fall of 2021; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly, when asked how she would like to | ||||||
16 | be remembered, replied "As someone who cared"; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Tesse Donnelly is survived by her children, | ||||||
18 | Thomas (Anne Wicker), John, Theresa (John Irwin), Patrick | ||||||
19 | (Jessica Daniels), and Maura (Matthew O'Halloran); and her | ||||||
20 | grandchildren, Claude, Ambrose, Liam, Gabriel, Lucy, Beatrice, |
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1 | Fiona, Finnbar, Ronan, and Emmett; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
3 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
4 | Mary Therese "Tesse" Donnelly and extend our sincere | ||||||
5 | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved | ||||||
6 | her; and be it further
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7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
8 | presented to the family of Tesse Donnelly as an expression of | ||||||
9 | our deepest sympathy.
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