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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
3learn of the death of Reverend Richard Billings of Oak Park, 
4who passed away on February 18, 2019 at the age of 94; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Reverend Billings was born on August 30, 1924 on a 
6farm near Wyandot, Ohio; and
  
 
7    WHEREAS, Reverend Billings completed grade school in a 
8one-room schoolhouse; he went to high school in the town of 
9Bucyrus and furthered his education at Ohio State University in 
10Columbus, where he was drafted into military service; and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, Reverend Billings served three years of military 
12service in the Pacific, where he was torpedoed and endured 
13other horrors of war; he was discharged in January of 1946; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Reverend Billings finished his degree in fine arts 
15and education while working as a waiter; he then worked in the 
16fashion industry and became a high-fashion designer with a shop 
17on Oak Street in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Reverend Billings sold the boutique shop and 
19travelled to Unity Village in Missouri to train at the Unity 
20School of Christianity, where he became an ordained Unity 
 
 
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1minister; his ministry service took him to Santa Monica, 
2California and Detroit and Lansing, Michigan, before he moved 
3to Oak Park in the summer of 1967; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Reverend Billings served as minister of Unity of 
5Oak Park for 50 years and taught at Unity School; he was 
6responsible for the existence of four other Unity Centers in 
7the Chicagoland area, as well as at least 50 liaison 
8interventions throughout the U.S. "putting troubled centers 
9back on course"; and
 
10    WHEREAS, When Reverend Billings began his ministry in Oak 
11Park, 35 people purchased a fixer-upper mansion intended to be 
12the church's building; it was paid for, improved upon, and 
13regularly drew an attendance of 400-500 congregants and had a 
14mailing list of 1,800; and
 
15    WHEREAS, During Reverend Billings ministry, Unity of Oak 
16Park became a healing ministry, attracting people who wanted to 
17improve themselves and their understanding of life; he took 
18congregants on regular trips to at least 70 countries, taught 
19at Unity School, and was a guest speaker for many centers, 
20including at his good friend Johnnie Colman's center on the 
21South Side; he spoke in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for 
22a crowd of over 2,000 on three occasions, once with Maya 
23Angelou; and
  
 
 
 
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1    WHEREAS, Later in his life and due to health issues, 
2Reverend Billings tailored his ministry to include counseling 
3on Fridays and Saturdays; he continued to raise nearly $60,000 
4to help the center using "truth principles"; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, In September of 2017, Reverend Billings's tenure 
6at the center ended; he penned a biography titled My Soul 
7Remembers, where he writes, "For some of us, the search goes on 
8half-heartedly; for others, it is a serious business. We all 
9have our moments."; therefore, be it
  
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL 
11ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of 
12Reverend Richard Billings and extend our sincere condolences to 
13his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it 
14further
  
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
16presented to the family of Reverend Richard Billings as an 
17expression of our deepest sympathy.