SR0072 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0072 LRB104 11911 MST 22002 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Meghan Lynn Harmon of Divernon, formerly of Litchfield, who passed away on January 26, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Meghan Harmon was born in Springfield to Robert Joseph and Beth (Hermsmeyer) Harmon on December 22, 1983; she graduated from Litchfield High School in 2002 and earned several degrees, including an Associate Degree in Secondary Education from Lincoln Land Community College in 2004, a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2006 and a Master of Arts in English in 2008, both from the University of Illinois Springfield, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science in 2012 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; she married Greg Bishop in Springfield on September 17, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Meghan Harmon taught young adults English and humanities as an adjunct professor at Lincoln Land Community College; she then served as the local history and genealogy reference librarian at the Chatham Area Public Library District before taking the position of reference librarian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, where she earned the nickname "Megstar"; she then worked for the Illinois Secretary of State at the Illinois State Library as a library program specialist; and

WHEREAS, Meghan Harmon had a passion for books, and she conducted professional presentations about rare manuscripts and how the public can access a wealth of information from their local and state libraries; she was involved in the Friends of the Chatham Area Public Library, volunteering and performing in a decade's worth of murder mystery fundraisers; she also enjoyed bonding with her fellow honors students as part of the International College Honor Society Phi Theta Kappa; and

WHEREAS, Meghan Harmon enjoyed traveling with her husband; they made four trips to Iceland, hiked 10 miles of the Alaska wilderness, toured many of the national parks in the southwest, and explored some of nature's most amazing caves; they also enjoyed concerts, dinners, game nights with close friends, and holidays with family; when she was not busy training for a foot race, kayaking with her husband, or taking in arts and culture, she enjoyed home renovation projects; and

WHEREAS, Meghan Harmon was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Carl and Joyce (Satterlee) Hermsmeyer, and paternal grandfather, William Harmon; and

WHEREAS, Meghan Harmon is survived by her husband, Greg; her parents; her brother, Kyle R. Harmon; her paternal grandmother, Margaret Harmon; her four-legged daughter figure, Pause the Cat; the Honors Girls, Biz, Adrienne, Tiffer, and Meesa; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Meghan Lynn Harmon 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 Meghan Harmon as an expression of our deepest sympathy.