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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
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learn of the death of Dr. Andrew Prinz, director of urban 
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studies at Elmhurst College, who passed away on March 26, 2009; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, He came to Elmhurst in the fall of 1969, from 
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Concordia College in River Forest, where he had taught for nine 
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years; he came to Elmhurst College to establish the Department 
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of Urban Studies; he passionately loved urban life, even at its 
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lowest ebb, and he communicated his enthusiasm tirelessly to 
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his students, not only in his classroom but also on the streets 
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of Chicago, Sydney, Beijing, London, Moscow, Amsterdam, 
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Toronto, and other cities where he took his classes on journeys 
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of celebration and discovery; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Dr. Prinz had a positive genius for friendship, 
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and a knack for reaching out to anyone within hailing distance; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, He grew up in Lincoln Park, on Chicago's North 
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Side; his father, a shoemaker, ran a thriving shop on Armitage 
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Avenue; he grew up speaking mostly German around the house; he 
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attended Luther Institute, a private school on the Near West 
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Side; he left Lincoln Park for Rock Island and Augustana 
 


 






SR0204
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College; at Augustana, he pursued multiple majors in history, 
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political science, and geography in preparation for a career as 
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a high school teacher; at Northwestern University, he completed 
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a master’s degree in 1958 and a doctorate in 1963; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He was involved in politics and was elected 
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Democratic Party Committeeman for Oak Park in 1973; and

 
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    WHEREAS,  Dr. Prinz actively recruited fifteen to twenty 
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students to his department in any given year for the urban 
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studies program and a chance to experience city life; and

 
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    WHEREAS,
Dr. Prinz is survived by his wife, Carol, their 
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children, Kurt Prinz, Linda Hoffman, Diane Gardner, and Mark 
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Prinz, his brother, Edward Prinz, his six grandchildren; and 
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countless former students; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Dr. Andrew Prinz; and be 
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it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Dr. Andrew Prinz as a symbol of our 
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sincere sympathy.