HR1287 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1287 LRB098 22903 MST 61853 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Wilbert L. Smith of Chicago on the occasion of his 80th birthday; and

WHEREAS, Wilbert Smith was born on October 13, 1934 in Jackson, Mississippi to James Smith and Sallie M. Chrismon-Smith; he moved with his family to Chicago in June of 1955; he graduated from Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; he received his Master of Arts in Business Administration from Governors State University in 1976, and also attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University), and Loyola University Chicago Graduate School; and

WHEREAS, Wilbert Smith began teaching at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in February of 1958; in 1963, he left his position to pursue a career in health care and hospital administration, spending more than 10 years in the field; he worked as a sales consultant for the service station operations of the Humble Oil and Refining Company and for the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) as a Financial Analyst; for 11 years, he worked as the Director of Community Relations at South Shore Hospital; he returned to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County as a Financial Case Worker while teaching GED classes at Olive-Harvey College; he retired in 1991 from John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital as Program Planner for the Department of Planning, Education, and Research; and

WHEREAS, Wilbert Smith's 38-year career included many leadership positions; he recruited Fortune 500 corporations to hire students and offer scholarships at Malcolm X College, where he also improved operations and management of the Co-Op Education & Mid-Management Programs; he was the first black president of the Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations, the first black keynote speaker at the Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations' Annual Conference, and the first Director of Community Relations at South Shore Hospital; he was past president of the Chicago Tougaloo College Alumni Association for 2 terms and past Vice President and President of the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association; he organized the alumni chapters of the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, and was the Director of Fundraising for the Chicago chapter; he was the organizer of the Chicago Public Schools Teachers' Campaign for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and a past president of the Chicago Inter-Alumni Council for UNCF; and

WHEREAS, Wilbert Smith has received numerous recognitons over the course of his career; he was the Tougaloo College Alumnus of the Year in 1980; he was the recipient of the Chicago Tougaloo College Alumni Association's Austin C. Moore, Jr. Award and recipient of Certificates for Meritorious Service from the UNCF and the Chicago Tougaloo College Alumni Association; he was listed in 2 editions of Who's Who in the Midwest; and

WHEREAS, Wilbert Smith's present and former memberships include: life member, Tougaloo College National Alumni Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; member, Xi Lambda Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; member, Chicago Tougaloo College Alumni Association; member, Tougaloo College National Alumni Association Hall of Fame 1996; representative for Tougaloo College, Chicago Inter-Alumni Council, United Negro College Fund, Inc.; member, Park Manor Congregational Church, Chicago; Chairman, Scholarship Committee, Thomas Jackson, Jr. Cultural Foundation, Chicago; the National Association of Health Services Executives; member, Hospital Wide Patient Education Committee, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital; member, Medical Education Committee, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital; Advisory Committee, Chicago Public Schools Teachers' Campaign, United Negro College Fund; board member, Community Supportive Living Systems, Inc., Chicago; member, American College of Healthcare Executives, Chicago; member, John Marshall Metropolitan High School "M" Club and Alumni Association, Chicago; former board member, Community Mental Health Center, Chicago; former member, Youth Motivation Program, Chicago Public Schools; former board member, Chatham YMCA (now South Central Community Services, Inc.); former board member, Tougaloo College National Alumni Association; former Chairman, Church in Society Committee, Park Manor Congregational Church; former member, South Shore Ministerial Association, Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Wilbert Smith is married to Dr. Sandra Smith; they have 2 daughters, Jennifer Smith and Nicole Smith Clark, and 3 granddaughters, Amber, Autumn, and Ashleigh; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Wilbert L. Smith on his 80th birthday and wish him many more wonderful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Wilbert Smith as an expression of our esteem and respect.