HR0539

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are saddened to  learn of the death of
Marcus 
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Alexis; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Marcus Alexis was born on February 26, 1932 in 
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Brooklyn, New York to Joseph William and Eliza Jane Alexis; 
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undeterred by poor vision as a child, he excelled in the New 
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York public school system, earning the grades to attend 
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Brooklyn College; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After receiving his bachelor's degree from 
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Brooklyn College, Marcus Alexis embarked on a truly exceptional 
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academic and professional journey, earning his master's degree 
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in finance from Michigan State University in 1954 and his 
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doctorate in economics from the University of Minnesota in 
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1959; he also performed post-doctoral work at Harvard 
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University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Marcus Alexis was a nationally recognized 
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scholar; he was widely known for his expertise on urban 
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economics and public policy, particularly race and poverty 
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issues, and on regulation and management strategy, especially 
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surface transportation, rail, and trucking strategies; his 
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expertise led him to numerous leadership positions in 
 


 






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government and finance, including his appointment as director 
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of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 1985 and service as 
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the bank's deputy chairman and chairman in 1990; in 1979, he 
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was appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission by 
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President Jimmy Carter, serving as commissioner, vice 
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chairman, and acting chairman for over two years; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Marcus Alexis had a long and distinguished career 
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in education; he held faculty posts at Macalester College, 
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DePaul University, and the University of Rochester; in 1970, he 
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joined the faculty at Northwestern University as a professor of 
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economics and served as chairman of the economics department 
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from 1976 to 1979 and from 1982 to 1985; in 1985, he joined the 
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University of Illinois at Chicago as Dean of the School of 
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Business, where he remained until he returned to the 
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Northwestern faculty in 1991 as a Board of Trustees Professor 
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of Economics, Management and Strategy, and African-American 
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Studies; in 2005, he retired and became Professor Emeritus of 
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Management & Strategy at the Northwestern University Kellogg 
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School of Management; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Marcus Alexis was instrumental in the founding of 
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a program in 1974 that identified and supported promising 
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minority undergraduate students to pursue doctorate degrees in 
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economics; many of today's luminaries in the economics field 
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are beneficiaries of the program; the program, which is 
 


 






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supported by the American Economic Association and the National 
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Economic Association and funded by the Ford Foundation, 
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continues to this day; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Marcus Alexis was preceded in death by his 
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brothers, Rudolph, John, Calvin, and George, and his sister, 
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Victoria Sophia; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Marcus Alexis' greatest pleasure in life was his 
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family, which includes his wife of nearly 40 years, Geraldine; 
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his daughter, Hilary Alexis; his sons, Marcus II and Sean; his 
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grandchildren, Eliza, Myles, and Cole; his sister, Doris 
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Douglas, his daughters-in-law, Sahara Alexis and Aldona 
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Clottey; his sister-in-law, Doris Alexis; and his numerous 
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nieces and nephews; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Marcus 
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Alexis; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Marcus Alexis as an expression of 
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our sympathy.