HR0094

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of  
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Representatives are pleased to honor Dr. David Blackwell for 
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his many professional and academic achievements; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Dr. David Blackwell was born on April 24, 1919 in 
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Centralia, where he attended the local public schools; in 1935, 
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at the age of sixteen, he entered the University of Illinois in 
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Champaign-Urbana, where he received his bachelor's degree in 
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1938, his master's degree in 1939, and his doctorate in 1941, 
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all in mathematics; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After a post doctoral fellowship at Princeton and 
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instructorships at Southern University and Clark College, Dr. 
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David Blackwell joined the faculty of Howard University in 1944 
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as an instructor, achieving the ranks of Full Professor and 
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Chairman in three years; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During his time at Howard University, Dr. David 
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Blackwell distinguished himself as an excellent teacher, an 
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able leader (as department chair from 1947 to 1954), and a very 
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productive scholar, publishing more than twenty papers during 
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his tenure; while in Washington, he met M. A. Girschick of the 
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Department of Agriculture, who was a collaborator in many 
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works, including their 1954 book, Theory of Games and 
 


 






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Statistical Decisions, which became a classic in their field; 
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when he joined the faculty at Berkeley, he chaired the 
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Department of Statistics from 1957 to 1961 and published an 
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additional 50-plus papers; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Dr. David Blackwell's professional activities as 
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a scholar have brought him widespread recognition and acclaim; 
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he has received honorary Doctorate of Science degrees from 
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Harvard University, Yale University, the University of 
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Illinois, Howard University, Carnegie-Mellon University, the 
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University of Southern California, Michigan State University, 
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Syracuse University, Southern Illinois University, the 
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University of Warwick, the National University of Lesotho, and 
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Amherst College; he has been selected to be president of the 
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Institute of Mathematics Statistics, the International 
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Association for Statistics in Physical Sciences, and the 
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Bernoulli Society; he has served as Vice President of the 
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International Statistical Institute, the American Statistical 
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Association, and the American Mathematical Society; two of the 
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highest honors bestowed upon him, however, have been his 
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election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1965, in which 
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he is the first and only African-American mathematician to be 
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elected, and his election to the American Academy of Arts and 
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Sciences; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Dr. David Blackwell served as President of the 
 


 






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Institute of Mathematical Statistics in 1955; he is an Honorary 
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Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society; in 1979, he won the 
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von Neumann Theory Prize  from the Operations Research Society 
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of America; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Dr. David Blackwell has mentored and supervised 
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the dissertations and research of many students in the fields 
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of statistics and mathematics and is an inspiration to many 
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minorities in scientific and analytical fields; he is generally 
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acknowledged by the scientific community to be one of the 
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finest statisticians and mathematicians that America has 
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produced; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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honor Dr. David Blackwell for his many professional and 
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academic achievements and wish him continued success in his 
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future work; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Dr. David Blackwell as a symbol of our esteem and 
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respect.