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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate John Preston "Johnnie" | ||||||
| 4 | Cobb on the occasion of his 101st birthday on July 13, 2024; | ||||||
| 5 | and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, John Cobb was born to Howard Winston Cobb and | ||||||
| 7 | Mary Joe Cobb in Greenville, Mississippi on July 13, 1923; he | ||||||
| 8 | and his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi when he was one | ||||||
| 9 | year old; after his father's passing in 1932, he and his family | ||||||
| 10 | were supported by his grandfather, John Winston Cobb, who | ||||||
| 11 | oversaw most of his schooling; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, John Cobb served as a seamen first class and cook | ||||||
| 13 | in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1943 during World War II; while | ||||||
| 14 | in the Navy, he studied bookkeeping; he received an honorable | ||||||
| 15 | discharge in 1943; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, John Cobb returned to Jackson, Mississippi at the | ||||||
| 17 | age of 20; while there, he renewed his membership at the Canney | ||||||
| 18 | Creek Missionary Baptist Church, where he became a deacon at | ||||||
| 19 | the age of 21; he married his first wife, and this union | ||||||
| 20 | produced five daughters; he provided for his family while | ||||||
| 21 | working as a bookkeeper for a small merchant; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, John Cobb relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1952, | ||||||
| 2 | where he worked and provided for his family as a single parent | ||||||
| 3 | with the support of his mother and sisters; he gained | ||||||
| 4 | employment with Style Masters Furniture, where he worked until | ||||||
| 5 | the business closed; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, John Cobb remarried in 1955, and this union added | ||||||
| 7 | six more children to his family, making him a father of 11 | ||||||
| 8 | children in total, nine daughters and two sons; he supported | ||||||
| 9 | his family through working two jobs at Gino's Cleaning Service | ||||||
| 10 | and the Mary Ann Bakery Company before retiring in 1980; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, John Cobb is highly respected by his family and | ||||||
| 12 | honored by many of his peers, and he continues to maintain his | ||||||
| 13 | legacy as the family patriarch today; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 15 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 16 | we congratulate John Preston "Johnnie" Cobb on celebrating his | ||||||
| 17 | 101st birthday; and be it further | ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 19 | presented to John Cobb as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
| 20 | respect. | ||||||