SR0834 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0834 LRB094 21663 MST 60049 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Viveca Lynne Howell Mayes of Chicago, on June 17, 2006; and

WHEREAS, She was born on May 30, 1959, to Brenetta and Jesse Howell; she grew up on Chicago's West Side, attending Sumner and Byford Public Elementary Schools, and graduating from Siena High School in 1977; and

WHEREAS, She found her calling in the education field, obtaining her Baccalaureate degree in elementary education at Northeastern Illinois University in 1981; she then pursued graduate work in Speech and Language Pathology at Rush University; after volunteering at Austin Developmental Center and Leslie Lewis School, she began teaching in Chicago Public Schools in 1983; she worked in several schools, including Audubon School on Chicago's North Side, where she taught 4th and 5th grades until the time of her passing; and

WHEREAS, Her life of service to her community extended far outside of her employment; she was active in numerous organizations including the Chicago Teachers' Union as a member of its House of Delegates, Phi Delta Kappa, which awarded her Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1996, Third World Conference, Chicago Economic Development Corporation, and the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights; she received recognition for voluntarism from the Chicago Black United Fund and Pathfinders Prevention Education Fund; as a member of Third Unitarian Church, she conducted a summer reading program for youngsters in the Austin community for two years; and

WHEREAS, Her faith in Christ continued to grow throughout her life; she was a member of St. Benedict Parish while her son attended school there, and she also attended Faith Tabernacle Church and Harvest Christian Center; most recently she worked with her husband to establish Harvest Worship Cathedral International in Chicago's Rogers Park area; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Viveca Lynne Howell Mayes has been deeply felt by many, especially her husband, Pastor Donald N. Mayes, Jr.; her mother, Brenetta Howell Barrett; her sisters, Dr. Cynthia T. Henderson (Prentiss J. Jackson) and Abliba Howell; her brother, Kevin Howell; her sons, Juan R. Gibson II, Jawaan Mayes, and Joshua Mayes; her daughter, LaDonna Young; her grandchildren, sisters, brothers-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, co-workers, and hundreds of children and their parents whose lives she touched; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Viveca Lynne Howell Mayes, and we extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to her family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.