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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 Barbara Samuels of Chicago, who passed | ||||||
| 4 | away on July 2, 2020; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels was born to Blanche and Dr. John | ||||||
| 6 | Wilson in Gary, Indiana on August 15, 1937; she grew up in | ||||||
| 7 | Chicago and graduated from Lucy Flower Vocational High School | ||||||
| 8 | in 1955; she attended the School of the Art Institute of | ||||||
| 9 | Chicago and Chicago State University; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, In 1963, Barbara Samuels became the first African | ||||||
| 11 | American copywriter for the Sears and Roebuck catalog; she | ||||||
| 12 | worked as part of a design team at Sears and Roebuck that made | ||||||
| 13 | household accessories, including lighting fixtures, | ||||||
| 14 | dinnerware, and tabletop items; she was then promoted to buyer | ||||||
| 15 | of handbags and later to national buyer of casual footwear; in | ||||||
| 16 | 1968, she helped select clothing for the 1968 U.S. Olympic | ||||||
| 17 | Team; in 1998, she was named global "Buyer of the Year", | ||||||
| 18 | winning over 300 other nominees; she was also one of the first | ||||||
| 19 | African Americans to visit many of the Sears and Roebuck | ||||||
| 20 | manufacturing facilities abroad; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, After an early retirement, Barbara Samuels | ||||||
| 22 | launched The Lion's Share in 1994; her firm offered practical, | ||||||
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| 1 | profit-oriented advice for fledgling designers, merchants, and | ||||||
| 2 | small companies in the fashion industry; Barbara organized | ||||||
| 3 | fashion shows for major organizations and charities, including | ||||||
| 4 | the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Chicago Urban League, Delta | ||||||
| 5 | Sigma Theta Sorority, and the American Academy of Pediatrics; | ||||||
| 6 | as a media personality, she participated in fashion segments on | ||||||
| 7 | Channel 32 Fox TV, WVON Radio, and the Bertrice Berry Show; she | ||||||
| 8 | was a wardrobe and set design consultant for public | ||||||
| 9 | television's America's Family Kitchen with VertaMae Grosvenor; | ||||||
| 10 | she also wrote a fashion column for N'DIGO and lectured at | ||||||
| 11 | Columbia College; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels served as a board member or | ||||||
| 13 | officer of several fashion-related entities, including Fashion | ||||||
| 14 | Group International, the Apparel Industry Board, Inc. of | ||||||
| 15 | Illinois, GenArt, The Color of Fashion, the Leaguers of the | ||||||
| 16 | Chicago Urban League, and the Costume Committee of the Chicago | ||||||
| 17 | Historical Society; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels was preceded in death by her husband, | ||||||
| 19 | Alfred Jordan and her son, Michael; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels is survived by her son, Gregory; | ||||||
| 21 | therefore, be it
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| 22 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
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| 1 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
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| 2 | Barbara Samuels and extend our sincere
condolences to her | ||||||
| 3 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved
her; and be it | ||||||
| 4 | further
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| 5 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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| 6 | presented to the family of Barbara Samuels as an expression of
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| 7 | our deepest sympathy.
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