SR0168 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0168 LRB103 31735 LAW 60319 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Emil Garippo on the occasion of his 100th birthday and thank him for his military service during World War II; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo was born to immigrant Italian parents and raised in the Chicago neighborhood of Little Italy; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo enlisted in the U.S. military during World War II in 1944, joining his brother, Mike, who was deployed overseas; and

WHEREAS, After serving in World War II, Emil Garippo's arrival home led him to meeting his future wife of 74 years, Dean Ruggs; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo followed his late brother's lead and entered college, graduating with a degree in education from DePaul University in 1949 and later earning his master's degree; in doing so, he became among the earliest Americans to benefit from the G.I. Bill and the first in his family to earn a college degree; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo started teaching in Chicago, rising to assistant principal of Spalding High School, one of the nation's first public schools for children with disabilities; noted by administrators for his talent, he was brought to the central office to help oversee citywide transportation; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo and his family moved to Elmhurst in 1951; within a few years, much of his extended family followed, including his parents and his sister's family; now, many generational relatives live in the area thanks to him; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo still works out daily, with a break on weekends, spending 20 minutes on his stationary bike before completing a series of yoga-like exercises; he has never undergone surgery and only started using a walker and hearing aids in the last few years; and

WHEREAS, Emil Garippo watches the news and sports every day, but he mostly enjoys spending time with his children, four grandchildren, and now two great-grandchildren, wishing them all to have a good life and to do the right thing; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Emil Garippo on his 100th birthday, thank him for his military service and sacrifice to the United States of America, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Emil Garippo as an expression of our esteem and respect.