SR2035 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2035 LRB100 23394 MST 42444 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Ruth Hurlburt Hamilton on June 26, 2018 at the age of 97; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton was born in Kirksville, Missouri in 1921, but spent most of her life as a devoted Oak Parker; she graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School and decided to study acting; she attended the Goodman School of Drama for a year, being cast as a thorn bush in Sleeping Beauty; the director criticized her portrayal in rehearsal, saying she was not "brambling" properly; she then attended Pomona College and later graduated with a degree in English Literature from Rosary College in River Forest; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton married Allen Beye Hamilton in 1943; during her long and happy marriage, she wrote poems and published several in the Ladies Home Journal; her poem, Song for A Fifth Child, has been read and cherished through decades by generations of mothers; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton had many vocations, including acting in community theater productions, working with Oak Park and River Forest High School productions, and writing profiles of actors that appeared in the Chicago Daily News and many other newspapers; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton was known for writing letters and other pieces which carried her signature sparkle, wit, and generosity; she wrote such a charming letter to the actress Lynne Fontanne that Fontanne and husband, Alfred Lunt, agreed to be interviewed, although they had long since stopped agreeing to being profiled; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton spent the last ten years of her life at the Presbyterian Home in Evanston; her enormous capacity for happiness was a gift that touched everyone she met; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton was preceded in death by her loving husband, Allen, and her daughter, Sarah; and

WHEREAS, Ruth Hamilton is remembered for her profound joy and is survived by her children, Duncan, Bruce, Jeremy, and Jane; her son-in-law, Bob Willard; and her grandchildren, Allen and Duncan Riddell and Ben and Hannah Willard; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Ruth Hurlburt Hamilton, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Ruth Hamilton as an expression of our deepest sympathy.