|
| | HR0289 | | LRB099 08587 MST 28748 r |
|
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
|
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
| 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of James C. |
| 4 | | Craven of Bellingham, Washington, who passed away on January |
| 5 | | 12, 2015; and
|
| 6 | | WHEREAS, James Craven was born in Greenfield, Tennessee on |
| 7 | | August 7, 1925 to Arlie and Addie Craven; his family moved to |
| 8 | | Chicago in
the 1930s; he graduated from Lakeview High School, |
| 9 | | the University of Illinois, and the University of
Illinois Law |
| 10 | | School; he served in the United States Army during World War |
| 11 | | II; he married Gloria Pheney in November of 1950; and
|
| 12 | | WHEREAS, James Craven, along with his wife, started a law |
| 13 | | practice in Springfield; he practiced law in Springfield until |
| 14 | | 1964, when he was
elected to the Fourth District Appellate |
| 15 | | Court; he served until 1981, when he resigned from the court |
| 16 | | and resumed his law
practice in Springfield; he began the |
| 17 | | practice of offering legal help to students in
the Public |
| 18 | | Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at |
| 19 | | Springfield and to reporters
and editors through the Illinois |
| 20 | | Press Association and Illinois
Broadcasters' Association, |
| 21 | | which continue to this
day; and
|
| 22 | | WHEREAS, James Craven also involved himself in many other |
|
| | HR0289 | - 2 - | LRB099 08587 MST 28748 r |
|
|
| 1 | | cases and legislative
matters involving First Amendment |
| 2 | | issues; in the early 1990s,
the Press Association honored him |
| 3 | | with the creation and
presentation of the James C. Craven First |
| 4 | | Amendment Award;
the highlight of his legal work began in 1985, |
| 5 | | with
the filing of the first of many cases he filed on behalf |
| 6 | | of
the African American and Hispanic communities in Illinois |
| 7 | | and
California under the federal Voting Rights Act; these |
| 8 | | lawsuits
resulted in changes in the form of municipal and |
| 9 | | special district
governments in Springfield, Danville, Peoria |
| 10 | | and Chicago
Heights, which are designed to provide minority |
| 11 | | voters with the
opportunity to elect representatives of their |
| 12 | | choice; and
|
| 13 | | WHEREAS, James Craven is survived by his wife, Gloria; his |
| 14 | | 4 children, William (Terri
Tork), Nancy (Jim Claypool), Don |
| 15 | | (Denise), and Rebecca (Scott
Linneman); and his 6 |
| 16 | | grandchildren,
Joseph and David Craven, Anna and Meg Claypool, |
| 17 | | and Charlie
and Dory Linneman; therefore, be it
|
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 19 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
| 20 | | mourn the passing of James C. Craven, and extend our sincere |
| 21 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved |
| 22 | | him; and be it further
|
| 23 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |