On the recordSeptember 21, 2011
I rise today to pay tribute to my friend and a great Illinois public servant--Harry ``Bus'' Yourell, who passed away September 19, 2011, at the age of 92. Bus grew up on Chicago's South Side and was married to his wife Millie for 66 years. Bus served nine terms in the Illinois House, was Cook County recorder of deeds in the 1980s, and served 18 years as a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. In fact, Bus ran in 40 elections over the years, without ever losing one. But his public service goes much deeper than that. Bus enlisted in the Marines on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked and served 4 years in the South Pacific, fighting in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. He was awarded the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Bus loved public service, but he enjoyed travelling and meeting people just as much. He enjoyed life. Bus hitchhiked through Vietnam, rode 250 miles on top of a box car in Ecuador, took a trip up the Amazon River in a dugout canoe in his seventies, and in his eighties bungee jumped in New Zealand. He was a one of a kind person and a tremendous asset to the Chicago community. I extend condolences to his wife Millie, his three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as the many friends and admirers who will miss him. ____________________
