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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
| 3 | learn of the death of Leslie Ann Jones, who passed away on | ||||||
| 4 | April 13, 2020 at the age of 67; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones received her bachelor's degree from | ||||||
| 6 | Yale University and graduated from Harvard Law School; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones was an accomplished lawyer and had an | ||||||
| 8 | expansive legal career, specializing in zoning, federal | ||||||
| 9 | litigation, real estate, and corporate transactions; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones met her husband Thomas E. Johnson | ||||||
| 11 | while they were both providing free legal services to | ||||||
| 12 | impoverished people in the Chicago area through the Legal | ||||||
| 13 | Assistance Foundation; they were then partners at the law firm | ||||||
| 14 | of Johnson, Jones, Snelling, Gilbert & Davis, which her husband | ||||||
| 15 | founded in downtown Chicago; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones was a clinical professor of trial | ||||||
| 17 | practice and ethics at the Northwestern School of Law; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones devoted her free time to the Oak Park | ||||||
| 19 | community, advocating for public art that would be accessible | ||||||
| 20 | to all residents; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones was active as both a board member and | ||||||
| 2 | as president of the Oak Park Arts Area Council; while on the | ||||||
| 3 | Council, she championed the work of multicultural artists and | ||||||
| 4 | led the community in drafting a new public arts ordinance that | ||||||
| 5 | was passed by the Village of Oak Park; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones enjoyed many creative pursuits in her | ||||||
| 7 | life, including screen printing, knitting, and weaving; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones was filled with vitality and | ||||||
| 9 | generosity; she had a strong commitment to social justice and a | ||||||
| 10 | drive to help disadvantaged people in all kinds of ways; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones was passionate about finding secure, | ||||||
| 12 | loving homes for children in need; this drove her to join the | ||||||
| 13 | board of the Hephzibah Children's Association as well as to | ||||||
| 14 | welcome numerous foster children into her home; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones was a person filled with compassion | ||||||
| 16 | and generosity; she was known for her wonderful sense of humor | ||||||
| 17 | and for her love for her community; she will be remembered by | ||||||
| 18 | friends and family for all the good she did; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Leslie Jones is survived by her sons, Ben Johnson, | ||||||
| 20 | Charlie Johnson, and Jake Johnson; and her godson, Chris | ||||||
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| 1 | Hampton; therefore, be it
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| 2 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
| 3 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
| 4 | Leslie Ann Jones and extend our sincere condolences to her | ||||||
| 5 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
| 6 | further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to the family of Leslie Jones as an expression of our | ||||||
| 9 | deepest sympathy.
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