SR0935 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0935 LRB095 23114 KXB 53745 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of former State Representative and State Senator, William "Bill" Shaw of Dolton, who recently passed away; and

WHEREAS, William "Bill" Shaw was born as a twin, July 31, 1937 in Hope, Arkansas, to McKinley and Gertrude Shaw; he was the fifth of six siblings; at an early age, the family relocated to Chicago, where he completed his formal education and continued his spiritual growth; as an adult, he united with Grant Memorial AME Church; and

WHEREAS, William and his wife Shirley raised three children, Gina, Victor Andre, and Shawn, on Chicago's Southside, providing them with love, as well as a first hand taste for the political atmosphere of the day; as a teen, always working side by side with his twin, Robert, William discovered a passion for politics and government; he took the political astuteness he learned on Chicago's Westside and took it with him when he relocated to the Southside; serving in various positions in government over the years, William found numerous avenues to help others; and

WHEREAS, In 1982, after many years in local government, William Shaw was sworn into the State legislature as Representative of the 34th District; after the re-districting following the 1990 Census, he moved further south to the Village of Dolton, where he successfully ran for the Illinois Senate, representing the 15th District; at the urging of the community, Senator Shaw ran for Mayor of Dolton and, in 1997, was elected its first African-American mayor; in both houses of the General Assembly, William Shaw worked tirelessly to pass legislation that positively impacted the lives of his constituents; one of the efforts he was most proud of was the ground breaking legislation he and Senator Emil Jones passed mandating that African-American history be taught in all Illinois public schools; and

WHEREAS, He served as a member of the Senate Energy & Environment Committee and the Education Committee while at the Statehouse; as a member of the Senate Local Government Committee, he was instrumental in the redevelopment of the Historic Pullman District on Chicago's Southside; he also sponsored legislation that created the Illinois Donor Program with the Illinois Secretary of State's Office; during his tenure as Senator, he was truly one who brought home the bacon, securing millions in funding that improved the quality of life and services throughout the 15th District; the building of the Melanie Fitness Center, a state-of-the-art health and fitness center, was one such improvement; and

WHEREAS, William Shaw was most definitely a people person; he loved gathering a group of politically aware people around him to discuss, and often argue current political issues; he was a mentor, a teacher, a champion, and a father figure for many aspiring to serve in government; as a legislator and mayor he made youth, education, and health high priorities; his desire was to provide computers for every school in his district, and he did; and

WHEREAS, As mayor, he founded the Mayor William "Bill" Shaw's Youth Leadership Academy, which mentors junior and senior high school students in the development of their public service commitment; he awarded numerous scholarships to college bound students, and donated Village land to the Park District to build the Dolton Little League "Field of Dreams"; near and dear to his heart was the Village's "Crossroads to Health" Annual Cancer Walk, raising awareness for the need for more funding to find a cure; the money raised goes to the Jennifer S. Fallick Cancer Center, which provides social and support services for families of cancer patients; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Shaw was known to work across both party and racial lines to bring about positive results; his desire was that Dolton be a first class place for families to live; he was a mayor with an open door policy; he was a hands-on leader who could often be seen riding through the Village checking on the community he loved; during snow season, it was not unusual to see him behind the wheel of a truck plowing the streets, which made his family and staff very nervous; and

WHEREAS, The phrase "Home Is Where the Heart Is" described Mayor Shaw's consummate love for Dolton; he believed in inclusion and appointed the Village's first African-American police chief, the first female and African-American village attorney, and the first African-American chief of staff; he had the village build a beautiful waterfall at the corner of Lincoln and Park, held the summer Cascade of Jazz events in front of the village hall, and encouraged numerous businesses to make Dolton their home; and

WHEREAS, His dynamic, visionary leadership, coupled with his passion for seniors, led him to secure funding to modernize the Dorchester Senior Center and Banquet Facility; his most recent success was securing a contract with Food-4-Less supermarket to locate at Sibley and Greenwood, where construction is now in progress; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Shaw's concern for global issues has always been evident; he and the Village frequently hosted Mayor Kofi Adjei Ntim of Kadjebi, Ghana, Dolton's sister city; many discussions centered on how Dolton could help build a library for their children; in 2007, Mayor Shaw sent a delegation of four to Ghana to better understand their culture and customs, as well as attend their 50th anniversary of independence from British rule; in the late 1990s, Mayor Shaw welcomed to the Village another African dignitary, His Royal Highness, Oba Aromolaran II, Owa of Ijeshaland, Nigeria; and

WHEREAS, Just days after catastrophic Hurricane Katrina blasted New Orleans and surrounding areas, Mayor Shaw organized a relief effort that provided twenty-two truckloads of food and supplies to the victims; he held a similar drive to provide help for the victims of Haiti's devastating flood; and

WHEREAS, An avid golfer, and to let him tell it, "the best in Illinois", Mayor Shaw was known to challenge all comers; in his retirement from the legislature, he spent a good portion of his time with his twin brother and friends accompanying him to various golf courses around Chicago, or to his Orlando home, to enjoy the sun and shoot a few rounds; and

WHEREAS, Well-known as culinary experts, he and Robert had daily and weekly cook-off competitions on recipes from the Food Channel; of the two, the Mayor was indeed the better golfer, but despite the mayor's denial, his twin brother Robert holds the cook-off title; and

WHEREAS, Mayor William Shaw often spoke of how blessed he was; he began his journey in Hope, Arkansas, and took his final bow in Dolton, Illinois; all the critically important work he did in-between allowed him to leave behind an impressive legacy; his accomplishments are forever etched in time; when God called his name, Mayor Shaw passed away quietly in his Dolton home; and

WHEREAS, His parents, as well as three brothers, preceded him in death; he was also preceded in death by Melanie Green, for whom he was a loving father figure; and

WHEREAS, At his time of his passing and by his side were his long time and truly dedicated companion, Ms. Deborah Green; his twin brother and closet confidant, Commissioner Robert Shaw; and his faithful son, Victor Andre Shaw; along with those, Mayor Shaw is survived by his sister, Bobby Shaw Brown; his daughter, Gina; his son, Shawn; his granddaughters, Ashley Staples and Asante Norton; his grandson and namesake, William "Little Bill" Skyler Shaw; as well as a hundreds of other family members and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of William "Bill" Shaw; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the loved ones of William "Bill" Shaw as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.