HR1161 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1161 LRB093 23120 KEF 53159 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni of Wendell Phillips High School, the oldest African-American high school in Chicago, are celebrating the school's 100th anniversary in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Wendell Phillips High School, which opened on September 5, 1904, received its name from the great abolitionist who openly criticized Abraham Lincoln for delaying the emancipation of slaves; born in 1811, Wendell Phillips spent nearly fifty years of his life championing the fight against slavery, the ill-treatment of Native Americans, equal pay and wages for women, and better working conditions for all employed persons; and

WHEREAS, As a culmination of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of 1979, Mr. Raymond McCants, Sr. led a committee to dedicate and designate the school's main corridor as the Hall of Fame; the photographs of many role models appear in the Wendell Phillips Hall of Fame, including: Nettie Hayden Baldwin; Alderman William Barnett; Timuel D. Black, Jr., educator, historian, and noted author; Honorable Archibald Carey, Jr.; Nat "King" Cole; Sam Cooke; Thomas A. Dorsey, musical composer of the famous spiritual, "Precious Lord"; The Duster Family, descendants of Ida B. Wells; Alderman Wilson Frost; Marla "Florence" Gibbs; George Johnson; John H. Johnson; David W. Kellum, long known as "Bud Billiken" who served as head cheerleader for all teams; Annie Lee, noted artist; Dr. Loretta Hall Martin, former student, teacher, and current Hall of Fame Chairperson; James D. Montgomery, Sr.; boxing champion, Lee Roy Murphy; Silas Parnell, who for many years assisted generations of students in obtaining scholarships to colleges around the country; Dr. Annabelle Carey Prescott, former student and teacher at Phillips; Honorable Albert S. Porter; Roebuck "Pop" Staples; Dinah Washington; Dr. Irvin B. Watkins; and Claude "Buddy" Young; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Maudell Brown Bousfield simultaneously became Chicago's first African-American public school principal and served as principal of Wendell Phillips from 1939 to 1950; and

WHEREAS, The school's championship basketball team was drafted by Mr. Abe Saperstein to form the "original" nucleus of the world renowned Harlem Globetrotters; and

WHEREAS, Major repairs and improvements to the school began in the middle and late 1990s; the administration, community leaders, parents, and political representatives all worked together to lobby for major repairs and, as a result, major external repairs and improvements were completed; a Phillips-Mayo campus project added green space and additional sports facilities; and

WHEREAS, The school received landmark status on May 7, 2003, from Chicago's City Council; and

WHEREAS, The Wendell Phillips High School Committee was formed in December of 2003 to plan and execute a centennial celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the school and affirmed its commitment to: development of an endowment fund to support students in achieving academic excellence and scholarships; preservation of the cultural artifacts and oral and written history of the school; establishment of a tutoring/mentoring core comprised of Phillipsites and others; retention of the school as a viable educational institution; and supporting community based school activities; and

WHEREAS, The present administration and community leaders have worked diligently to update computer facilities, improve the library, and provide Internet access to the students; more improvements are in the planning stage; Wendell Phillips High School (designated Wendell Phillips Academy High School effective the 1997-98 school year) is striding into the new millennium to meet the needs of its students; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we hereby commemorate Wendell Phillips High School's 100th anniversary, we recognize the school's many contributions to the education and development of the children of Chicago, and we extend to all those connected with the school our sincere best wishes for continued success in the years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Wendell Phillips High School and the Wendell Phillips High School Centennial Committee as an expression of our esteem.