SR0456 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0456 LRB101 12623 MST 61085 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Roberta "Bobbie" Raymond on May 7, 2019 at the age of 80; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was born on November 16, 1938 in Oak Park to William and Rosemary Wolin; she was a lifelong resident of Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1955; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond worked as a child actor in Chicago from 1945 to 1952, later using the stage name Roberta Alden when she appeared in NBC Radio shows, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, and Cricket on the Hearth; she also did commercials, trade shows, and television and had a lead role in the pre-Broadway cast of Tender Loving Care in 1960; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond studied sociology at Drake University, studied racial integration and the fair housing movement at Hunter College, and earned a master's degree with honors from Roosevelt University, where she wrote her sociology thesis on Oak Park and the challenge to achieving long-term racial diversity and integration; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was a foundational figure in Oak Park's long experiment in racial integration; she ultimately earned the reputation of being Oak Park's fiercest advocate, leaving behind an enormous legacy of activism and lifelong dedication to public service for the Oak Park community; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond is described as an agent of social change within Oak Park's wall of fame biography; she joined the Oak Park Citizens Committee for Human Rights as she began her activism in fair housing and then started the Oak Park Housing Center in 1972, a nonprofit focused on maintaining racial integration, where she served as executive director for 26 years until retiring in 1996; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was featured in the documentary, As Time Goes By: Oak Park, Illinois, which premiered at the Lake Theatre in 1974 and was later shown on WTTW; she wrote the winning presentation script for Oak Park's All-America City Award in 1976, was featured on CBS 60 Minutes in 1978, and appeared on the last Phil Donahue Show; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond, as part of her work at the Housing Center, helped to found the influential Oak Park Exchange Congress, which gathered like-minded communities from around America to share best practices on integration efforts; she also helped to create Oak Park's A Day in Our Village community celebration, collaborated with the Austin Shock Historical Association to create a house walk in the Austin neighborhood, and organized the Boulevard Run, a 10K race running through Oak Park and Austin, including Columbus Park; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond, after her retirement from the Housing Center, served on the boards of the Oak Park Development Corporation, the Doris Humphrey Foundation, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, and the Oak Park Art League; she pursued her many other interests, including painting, gardening, play writing, and traveling, including to Door County, Wisconsin; she was a longtime member of the Oak Park River Forest Garden Club, founded a French Club conversation class, and helped to found the First Tuesday Club, which brought independent and art films to the Lake Theatre; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was instrumental in the rebirth of the Oak Park River Forest High School Alumni Association and took great pride in its efforts to fund life-changing summer learning and travel experiences for high school students who were unlikely to have such opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was the originator of Oak Park's first paper recycling program and counted among her many honors are the Ulyssean, the Athena, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian, and the Studs Terkel Awards; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was deeply devoted to her son, Charles, and loved spending time with her grandson, Trevor, making crepes together, playing scrabble, and sharing with him her love of the arts; and

WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond is survived by her husband, Richard Gustavus Larson; her son, Charles D. Raymond and daughter-in-law, Christi Ausland-Raymond; her former husband, Geoffrey Raymond; and her grandson, Trevor William Raymond; 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 Roberta "Bobbie" Raymond 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 Bobbie Raymond as an expression of our deepest sympathy.