[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 23, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RETIREMENT OF BILL GAINER

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Bill Gainer 
for his many professional contributions to my home State and to wish 
him well as he begins a new chapter in his life. I have known Bill and 
his wife Gerry for over 20 years. Bill is a proud son of the southside 
of Chicago. He was born in Roseland to Dorothy Quinn and William 
Gainer, a second generation Chicago police officer. He and his six 
brothers and sisters went to St. Wilabroad grammar school and Bill 
graduated from St. Ignatius in 1958--at 16 years of age. Bill found his 
calling and started with Illinois Bell in 1960. The next year he joined 
the Army where he ran phone lines through southern Texas in the 261st 
Signal Construction Corps.
  Starting at the top--of a telephone pole as a lineman--Bill has 
worked his way through every operation of Illinois Bell--construction/
operations, installation/repair, marketing, network coordination-
planning, and business relations. He ended up at the crossroads in a 
job that combined his depth of knowledge and love for the phone company 
with his devotion to Chicago and the labor and civic organizations that 
make it the greatest city in the world.
  Leveraging his place in the business community with his Irish 
heritage, Bill became an active member in the city of Chicago and Cook 
County Irish Trade Missions. Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Bill as 
the chairman of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program--Galway 
Committee in October of 2001. He has hosted mayors, Members of the 
Irish Parliament and business leaders to promote trade and business 
development between Chicago and Ireland. Bill is also the chairman of 
the Business Development Committee for the Cook County Irish Trade 
Mission to County Down and County Cork. The ever-expanding success of 
the South Side Irish Parade owes much to Bill. He is the Parade's 
emeritus chair.
  Bill also has been active in many civic and nonprofit organizations. 
Closest to his heart are his involvement on the advisory board for 
Misericordia Heart of Mercy and the executive board of the Mercy Home 
for Boys and Girls. Bill was awarded the Misericordia Heart of Mercy 
Award in 2001 for his dedication and devotion to the Misericordia Home 
where his sister Rosemary lived many happy years. He is also the past 
president of the Illinois Veterans Leadership Program, an executive 
board member of the Irish Fellowship Club, the Chicagoland Chamber of 
Commerce, the Convention and Tourism Bureau, as well as the Irish 
American Alliance. As a result of his deep respect for law enforcement 
and the fact that there has been a Gainer serving continuously on the 
Chicago Police Department for over 100 years, Bill is an active member 
and strong supporter of the Hundred Club of Cook County.
  Bill is the first to admit that behind all these wonderful 
accomplishments is his great wife Gerry, a registered nurse and his six 
children, Bill, Bridget, Nora, Maureen, Mary, and Shelia and four 
grandchildren. Since they met at Duffy's Tavern in 1964, Bill and Gerry 
have not only been a great team, but also a lot of fun and a wonderful 
example of marriage and family. I congratulate him and his family and 
wish them the very best.

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