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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Rev. Dr.
4Joseph Edward "Joe" Hill, who passed away on July 7, 2023; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill was born in St. Louis, Missouri to
6Minnie and Joseph Hill on October 12, 1945; he graduated from
7Divoll Elementary School and Vashon High School in St. Louis,
8where he was part of the track team, sang in the school choir,
9and was inducted into the National Honor Society; he received
10his bachelor's degree in education from Harris-Stowe State
11College, where he pledged the Omega Psi Phi fraternity as an
12undergraduate and was elected Basileus of the Omicron Sigma
13Chapter; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill taught at Soldan International Studies
15High School and then in the Banneker District; as he launched
16his career at IBM, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he
17spent two years overseas based in Seoul, South Korea as a
18combat medic and also taught school, mostly in adult
19education; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill returned to the U.S. and continued to
21pursue his education; he obtained three master's degrees, one
22in higher education and two in political science from

 

 

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1Northeastern Illinois University and the University of
2Illinois at Chicago Circle; following this, he gained
3experience at Educational Developmental Laboratories in New
4York City before relocating to Chicago, where he worked as a
5teacher within the Chicago Public School system; during this
6period, he pursued his doctorate in business management; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill began his career with AT&T as an
8account executive in 1979, specializing in major financial
9markets; he consistently demonstrated exceptional performance,
10placing him among the top 5% of AT&T Achievers Club members for
11multiple years; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill was a member of Abyssinian Baptist
13Church in New York and Fellowship Baptist Church in Chicago
14and a longtime member of Christ Universal Temple (CUT), where
15he was ordained as a minister; at CUT, he taught classes at the
16Johnnie Coleman Institute and later served as the chief
17operating officer; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill established the Power Circle Institute
19and founded Power Circle Congregation, Inc. in 1996; he was
20senior minister for a total of 27 years and authored six books;
21and
 
22    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill was a practical joker; he loved to

 

 

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1scare his sisters and make others squeal and holler; he also
2loved to go to the casino with his family and friends; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill was preceded in death by his sister,
4Barbara Scott; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rev. Hill is survived by his sisters, Yvonne
6Hopper and Marilyn Louise Holmes; his brother, Keith Byron
7Hill; his niece, Danielle Bush; his nephews, Anthony White II,
8Keith Joseph Hill, Desmond Scott, and Jonathan Holmes; and his
9cousins, Godchildren, friends, and fellow ministerial
10associates; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we mourn the passing of Rev. Dr. Joseph Edward "Joe" Hill and
14extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all
15who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of Rev. Hill as an expression of our
18deepest sympathy.