SR1111 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1111 LRB098 20990 MST 58674 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Ellen Bay (nee Hershberger) Reinhardt, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, who passed away March 17, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt was born in Cleveland, Ohio on September 20, 1928 to Elbert and Iva Hershberger; she graduated from Columbus North High School, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with honors from Baldwin Wallace College, and earned her Master of Arts in Literature from Ohio State University; she later received an Advanced Certificate in Educational Administration from Ohio State University; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt taught for 5 years at Columbus Linden McKinley Junior/Senior High School before serving there as an assistant principal for 2 years; in 1957, she moved to Waukegan to join Melba Wixom and Sam Filippo in managing the English and foreign language departments at Waukegan Township High School; in 1972, she was appointed Director of Secondary Education, in which position she was recognized at the State and national levels for her curriculum innovations; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt was an avid sports fan and was enthusiastic about promoting Title IX; she found numerous ways to give back to the students beyond classroom instruction; she provided free classes in SAT/ACT prep and coached the Illinois State Police Academic Decathlon Teams for 5 years, twice winning 3rd place in the State competition; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt was well-known through articles she wrote for national publications and for speaking at State and national conventions; she was was chosen as a Kettering Fellow, was awarded the Governor's Prize for promoting international studies, and received an award as an outstanding administrator from the Waukegan Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, Following retirement in 1988, Ellen Reinhardt worked for a year at the Lake County Educational Service Center as the Gifted Consultant and then began a series of workshops on improving English skills for businessmen at the Cherry Electric Company and for teachers in District 60; she taught English at the College of Lake County untill 1998 and water aerobics at the North Lake YMCA until 2013; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt enjoyed books, travel (especially to New York and London), theater, sports, restaurants, and music; she was a trained singer and soloed with the Waukegan Philharmonic Chorus and the St. Paul's Church Choir and sang leading roles in Mr. T's Tent Theater; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt was preceded in death by her husbands, Ott Bay and John S. Reinhardt; her parents; half-brother, Zuig Lohr; and 2 half-sisters, Zita Smith and Sylvia Barker; and

WHEREAS, Ellen Reinhardt is survived by her step-sons, Rick (Julie) Bay, Steve Bay, and Mike (Julie) Bay; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces; and nephews; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Ellen Bay Reinhardt, 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 Ellen Reinhardt as an expression of our deepest sympathy.