HR1371 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1371 LRB099 22472 GRL 49896 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Eloise Harvey, who passed away on June 14, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey was born on March 12, 1929; her parents were Minister Henry and Martha Jane Seals, Sr.; she married Louis Harvey, Sr. on December 2, 1952 in Tunica, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey was baptized at an early age by Rev. McDonald in Mississippi; she was taught to sew by her mother, a skill which she would pass on to her daughters Helen and Patricia; she also worked as a beautician and assisted her father and uncles in running the family's grocery store and hotel; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey and her husband relocated to Chicago in 1955; after attending Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, they moved west and she became a member of United Faith Missionary Baptist Church; in May of 1993, she became a member of the Maypole Avenue Church of Christ; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey earned various educational certifications and community activist awards; she is also an alumnus of DePaul University and obtained special certifications in the Chicago Public School System; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey retired from the Board of Education as a Social Service Aide in 1993 after many years of service; at her urging, Maypole Avenue was a host to Beat 1113 meetings, which she facilitated for many years; she served as President of the Parent Teacher Association at Marconi School and Vice President of the Parent Teacher Association at Austin High School; in the 1970s, she and others were responsible for the renaming of the Austin High School Auditorium to become the Dr. Martin Luther King Auditorium and she worked with the late Dr. Chetwyn Rodgers to prevent the closing of Austin High School and other grammar schools; and

WHEREAS, Through the efforts of Eloise Harvey, the Maypole Avenue Church of Christ became a polling place for her community; she has been a dedicated supporter of the Democratic Party all of her adult life and very active in the Chicagoland area; she canvassed voters and led get-out-the-vote campaigns on behalf of both the late Mayor Harold Washington and Rev. Jesse Jackson during his campaign for President; when she became unable to get out and make contact with the people, she would call them on the phone to tell them "Get Up and Get Out and Vote"; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings, J.D., Katherine, Nora, Ector, Eldridge, and Henry; her husbands, Mr. Ellis and Lee Miles, Sr.; her daughter, Louella; and her sons, Charles, Charlie, and Nathaniel; and

WHEREAS, Eloise Harvey is survived by her sons, Lee Miles Jr., Marcus M. Miles Sr., Kenny Ray Harvey, and Louis (Mozella) Harvey Jr.; her daughters, Diane A. Harvey, Katherine Harvey-Stevenson (John), Patricia Harvey, and Alderman Helen Harris; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren; her brother, Eugene Seals; her sisters, Edna M. Nuell, Bessie M. Miles, and Stella B. Mayes; her brother-in-law, O.B. Harvey; her sisters-in-law, Wilada Harvey, Annie Bell Reese, and Mazora Seals; her special cousins, Minister James Wallace and Bertha Gage; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with her family and friends, mourn the passing of Eloise Harvey; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Eloise Harvey as an expression of our sympathy.