HR0596 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0596 LRB104 17870 ECR 31306 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Bishop Dr. Claude Porter, who passed away on December 30, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter, the son of James and Corean Porter, was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 21, 1937; he married Earnestine Walker; he was awarded a doctorate degree in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter entered the ministry at the Greater White Stone Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis in 1960; later that year, he was ordained and began serving as assistant pastor at Greater Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago; he founded Proviso Missionary Baptist Church in Maywood in 1972, where he was consecrated and installed as Bishop in 2005, retiring as senior pastor in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter founded the Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action Inc (PLCCA) in 1968; as Founder, President, and CEO, he grew the Maywood-based nonprofit into a major regional provider of social services, workforce development, youth programming, housing assistance, and energy assistance; he was also the Founder and Chairman emeritus of the Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network (PTMAN), a founding member and chairman of Interfaith Illinois, the Founder and President of the Porter Family Center, the president of both Maywood Phoenix Homes and Goodell Place Homes, and a member of the Maywood Rotary since 1972; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter received numerous awards and honors, including the Pioneer Award from HHS Head Start, the Jefferson Award from Honoring Chicago's Unsung Heroes, and the King Legacy Award from American Family Insurance, among others; his lifetime of service was further honored by the Village of Maywood with the creation of a commemorative street sign at the intersection of 5th and Madison; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter worked to bridge the gap between Chicago-area faith institutions and the area's medical, business, and public service sectors for more than 50 years, working alongside elected officials, physicians, hospital executives, and clergy to expand access to screenings, preventive care, and public health education, particularly in Black communities facing disproportionate health risks; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter was a pastor, an organizer, a nonprofit executive, a mentor, and a coalition builder whose work touched hundreds of thousands of individuals in Illinois and across the country; and

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter was the husband of Earnestine Porter; the father of the late Debra Ann Strickland, Beverly Smith, and Claudette Harrell; the father-in-law of Jerome Strickland Sr. and Milton Smith; the grandfather of seven; and the great-grandfather of ten; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Bishop Dr. Claude Porter and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Bishop Dr. Claude Porter as an expression of our deepest sympathy.