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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to recognize the contributions of James
4Gray as President of the Alton branch of the NAACP for the past
524 years; and
 
6    WHEREAS, James Gray dedicated his life to improving the
7lives of Alton's African-American community and the community
8at-large; he has served as the President of the Alton branch of
9the NAACP since 1992; and
 
10    WHEREAS, James Gray broke many barriers during his
11lifetime; in 1966, he was the first African-American hired in
12the Light Oil Division of Amoco Oil Company; three years later
13he became the first African-American to be elected Union
14Representative in Amoco's history; in 1971, he became the first
15African-American to be elected Union President at a major oil
16refinery in the United States; and
 
17    WHEREAS, James Gray has been the recipient of numerous
18awards, including the "Yes I Can Award" for Amoco from the St.
19Louis Urban League; for three years in a row, he was recognized
20by the St. Louis American Newspaper for Blacks for making an
21impact in industry; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, James Gray was instrumental in getting the City of
2Alton to make Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a city
3holiday; and
 
4    WHEREAS, James Gray worked with the Madison County Public
5Defender to bring African-American representation by hiring
6attorneys Luther Simmons and Scott Turner; he worked with the
7Alton School District and Scott Air Force Base to establish a
8Junior ROTC Program at Alton High School; and
 
9    WHEREAS, James Gray has expanded the NAACP's programs to
10help underprivileged children in the community; these programs
11include: giving away 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies
12every year at the Annual Back to School/Stay in School event,
13granting scholarships to students to maintain a C-average,
14taking children on a field trip to visit the Civil Rights
15Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and helping children buy
16Christmas presents for their families; and
 
17    WHEREAS, James Gray's dedication to the NAACP for the past
1824 years has been unwavering; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21recognize the contributions of James Gray as President of the
22Alton branch of the NAACP; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to James Gray as a symbol of our respect and esteem.