Full Text of SR0638 100th General Assembly
SR0638 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Jesse A. "Tony" Clements of Champaign, | 4 | | who passed away on June 9, 2017; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Jesse Clements was born in Raleigh, North Carolina | 6 | | to Jesse Jr. and Doris Baugh Clements on February 24, 1949; he | 7 | | earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University | 8 | | of Illinois, where he was on the basketball team his freshman | 9 | | year and the football team after that; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, While working on his graduate degree, Jesse | 11 | | Clements joined the Division of Campus Recreation at the | 12 | | university, where he remained for 38 years; in 1979, he was | 13 | | named its director, one of the first black men to hold that | 14 | | position at a major university in the United States; he also | 15 | | served as the official scorekeeper for the university for 30 | 16 | | years; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Jesse Clements was active in the National | 18 | | Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), serving as | 19 | | president of that organization from 1988 to 1989; he was | 20 | | presented the NIRSA Honor Award in 1996; in 2002, he won the | 21 | | University of Illinois' Chancellor's Academic Professional | 22 | | Excellence Award; he was named the recipient of the Monsignor |
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| 1 | | Edward J. Duncan Service Award, presented annually a football | 2 | | letterman who has displayed exemplary dedication to his | 3 | | community, state, and country; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Upon his retirement, Jesse Clements was appointed | 5 | | as a board member of the United Way of Champaign County (UWCC); | 6 | | during his time with the United Way, he was the co-chair of the | 7 | | Annual Campaign, co-chair of the Pillar Committee, and co-chair | 8 | | of the Marketing Committee; he also served as a member of the | 9 | | UWCC's executive committee; in 2012, he was the UWCC interim | 10 | | CEO; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, In January of 2014, Jesse Clements received the | 12 | | Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser award from the National | 13 | | Philanthropy Association; he also joined the board of the | 14 | | Marajen Stevick Foundation; in May 2017, he was inducted into | 15 | | the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a | 16 | | Friend of Basketball; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, One of Jesse Clements' favorite pastimes was | 18 | | performing stand-up comedy; he produced his own annual comedy | 19 | | show, The Clements Comedy Cafe, from 1990 through 2014; | 20 | | throughout the 25 years, the Comedy Cafe supported a number of | 21 | | social service organizations, including the East Central | 22 | | Illinois Foodbank, the C-U Schools Foundation, and the | 23 | | Champaign Parks Foundation; he also performed with comedian |
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| 1 | | Sinbad, emceed shows for Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, and | 2 | | had been the opening act for Jerry Butler and Ray Charles; in | 3 | | 1998, he was asked to be the warm-up act when President Clinton | 4 | | and Vice President Gore visited the University of Illinois; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Jesse Clements' highest priority was his | 6 | | relationships with his family, friends, and community; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Jesse Clements was preceded in death by his | 8 | | parents; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Jesse Clements is survived by his companion, | 10 | | Debbie Shilts; his sister, Deborah Blanks; his nephew, Geraud | 11 | | Blanks (Element Everest); his great-niece, Karma Blanks; his | 12 | | stepmother, Lois Clements; his aunt, Cornelia Jane Jackson | 13 | | Liggins; and his uncle, Robert Jackson; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 16 | | Jesse A. "Tony" Clements, and extend our sincere condolences to | 17 | | his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 18 | | further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the family of Jesse Clements as an expression of | 21 | | our deepest sympathy.
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