SR0057 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0057 LRB101 08499 ALS 53576 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Randy Crumpton of Chicago, who passed away on January 14, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Randy Crumpton was born in Chicago to Lander and Symathew Crumpton on April 16, 1965; he committed to his faith at an early age while attending the Fernwood United Methodist Church; he attended Van Vlissingen Elementary School and Percy L. Julian High School; he continued his formal education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he pledged the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and joined the fraternity's Epsilon Pi Collegiate Chapter in 1985; his interest in law school, politics, and election law was sparked when working with the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington; he later graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law; and

WHEREAS, Immediately after law school, Randy Crumpton worked at Howse, Howse, Neville, and Gray, where he served as a law clerk to P. Scott Neville Jr.; after passing the bar exam, he began his law practice at the Law Offices of James Lourgos; he later started his own law firm and became a distinguished entertainment and election law attorney; he practiced in the areas of real estate, civil litigation, criminal law, evictions, probate, estate planning and copyright and also served as a court appointed attorney in the Child Protection Division of the Juvenile Court of Cook County; he was an expert on election law and argued and won Jackson v. Board of Election Commissioners before the Illinois Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his law practice, Randy Crumpton was prominent in the film and television industry and served as a board member of the Chicago International Film Festival; for over 20 years, he was the chairperson of its Black Perspectives Committee; he also served as an ambassador and contributor to the American Black Film Festival; he turned his admiration for filmmaking into a reality with his longtime friend, James Ramos; together, they formed Brave Face Productions and produced award-winning short films; he also co-produced Happy Birthday Langston Hughes - A Celebration in Poetry, Prose, and Song; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, Randy Crumpton was appointed by the Governor to the Illinois Visual Media Task Force and was selected to attend the 2005 Sundance Institute's Independent Producer's Conference; he was instrumental in the dedication of a street to the late DJ Frankie Knuckles; in 2006, he became the director of MOVE! - The Chicago International House of Music Festival; in 2014, he co-founded and served as co-director of the Frankie Knuckles Foundation NFP; in 2016, he brought club owners, film producers, and entrepreneurs together to produce the film The Warehouse; and

WHEREAS, Randy Crumpton remained committed to his fraternity; for many years, he served as the Great Lakes Regional Legal Counsel, the chairperson of the Carnation Ball for the Upsilon Sigma Alumni Chapter, and was named chairperson for 2019; he was active in the Cook County Bar Association and served as editor of the newsletter; he was one of the founding members of the Guide Group, L.L.C, which published the Guide to Black Chicago and the Guide to Chicago's Black Lawyers; he served as a member of the Character and Fitness Committee of the Illinois Supreme Court; he was known for his creativity, commitment, passion, and sincere friendship; and

WHEREAS, Randy Crumpton was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Robert, Carl Lee, Billy, and Pete; and

WHEREAS, Randy Crumpton is survived by his sister, Betty; his brothers, Corneal, Jerome, William, and Clarence; his nieces, Khadijah, Felicia, and Natasha; his nephews, Carl, Jr., Treymaine, and Corneal Jr.; his godfather, Rev. Albert Sampson; his godmother, Jann Bennett Williams; his soror and cousin, Pam Clanton; his longtime fraternity brother and friend, Dr. Tim Jones; his godsons, Kendall Dunkin and Anthony, Akeem, Frederick, and Nicholas Jackson; his many great-nieces and great-nephews; his great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews; his loving cousins; and his many friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Randy Crumpton and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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