SR0374 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0374 LRB100 12184 MST 24603 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Carolyn A. Rush, who passed away on March 13, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush was born to Beulah Mae (DeWitt) Maxwell and Tommie James Thomas on May 27, 1949; she grew up in Rossville, Tennessee, where she was a member of DeWitt Temple Church of God in Christ; her family moved to the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago and she attended Betsy Ross Elementary School; she was baptized at the Greater Canaan Missionary Baptist Church and graduated from Hirsch High School in 1967, with honors; she married firefighter Eddie Long in the late 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush worked a variety of jobs in her teen and young adult years at places such as Woolworth Department Store, Illinois Bell, Marshall Fields, First National Bank, and the Ford Motor Company; later, she worked at the University of Illinois, the Prudential Insurance Company, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the State of Illinois, where she served under Illinois Treasurer Judy Barr Topinka; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush married United States Congressman Bobby Lee Rush on May 2, 1980; she worked alongside her husband selling insurance and served as his first administrative assistant when he was elected to the Chicago City Council in 1983; it was at her encouragement that he ran for Congress in 1991; she was a leader with the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses and served as Secretary for the Illinois Electoral College in 1992; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush and her husband founded the Beloved Community Family Wellness Center, the only federally qualified medical facility in Englewood, the Rebirth of Englewood Local Development Corporation, and the Beloved Community Family Services Corporation - all of which served poor people and the greater Englewood community; as First Lady of Beloved Community Church COGIC, she was active in developing social service programs to address issues arising from poverty, drug addiction, and violence; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush graduated from the American College of Florists and was a certified florist; she and her husband enjoyed traveling to Africa, Europe, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and across the United States; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush was a member of Operation P.U.S.H. and several other organizations that work to eradicate discrimination in banking and employment; and

WHEREAS, In honor of his beloved wife, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush established the Carolyn A. and Bobby L. Rush Scholarship, to be awarded to underrepresented minority students interested in pursuing a career in health sciences through the Rush University College of Health Sciences program; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush was preceded in death by her son, Huey; and

WHEREAS, Carolyn Rush is survived by her husband, Elder and Pastor, U.S. Representative Bobby Lee Rush; her sons, Michael (Sharon) Long, Steven (Tiffany) Long, Jeffery Rush, and Flynn (Melissa) Rush; her daughters, Fanon (Donald) Tyler, and Kacy Rush; her sisters, Vanessa Dennis, Stephanie Lemon, Sheila Thomas-Mahon, Kathryn Thomas-Whaley, and Cora Marie Hall; her brothers, Kenneth Shields, and Eric Thomas; her grandchildren, Carlysha, Kaelin, Hannah-Grace, Walter, David, Darius, Jordan, Nia, Jonathan R., Joshua, Sanii, Aiden, and Arianna; her mother, Beulah Mae Maxwell; her father, Tommie James (Geneva) Thomas; her good friend, Rosemary Hall; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, extended family, friends, colleagues, constituents, and Congressman Rush's congressional staff; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Carolyn A. Rush, and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

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