SR0429LRB102 18974 LAW 27702 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of George L. "Sonny" Roebuck Jr., who
4passed away on March 29, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. earned his associate's degree
6in Theology from Indiana University; and
 
7    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. served as a social worker in
8the 1960s, where he helped organize and lead an employee
9walk-out strike to force the Dayton Welfare Department's
10administration to fairly distribute welfare monies to
11minorities; he helped form the Dayton Model Cities Program in
121965, which eventually became federally funded and was
13designed to make a noticeable impact on the racial, social,
14economic, justice, and physical problems of cities nationwide;
15in that same year, he helped lead the City of Dayton to involve
16minority citizens' participation in the decision-making
17process of the city's administrative policies that affected
18minority communities and lifestyles; he also assisted in the
19formation of Community Rights to Know, which later became the
20National Endorsements Access Model Cities Alumni Reunion;
21among his many accomplishments, he helped to initiate the
22Dayton Priority Boards, the Neighborhood Leadership Training
23Institute, and the Preserve Conserve Our Identity

 

 

SR0429- 2 -LRB102 18974 LAW 27702 r

1organization; and
 
2    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. was a Republican politician
3who campaigned for candidates running for local, county,
4state, and federal offices; his campaign strategies helped to
5win minority votes for current Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in
62018; he belonged to several campaigns and committees,
7including Tony Hall's Congressional Advisory Committee, Ohio
8Senator Tom Roberts' Advisory Committee, the Bush-Cheney
9Re-election Campaign as chairman of Minority Affairs, the
10Executive Committee, and the Central Committees of the
11Montgomery County Republican Party; he served as chairman of
12the Minority Committee of the Montgomery County Republican
13Party for many years; and
 
14    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. was also a songwriter, and he
15co-wrote the lyrics of "You're A Sight for Sore Eyes" on an
16album for Dayton's famous Ohio Players; and
 
17    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. worked with nonprofit,
18private, and construction industries in attempts to restore
19vacant buildings in the declining Dayton View neighborhood
20where he lived; he was in the process of writing a proposal to
21prevent a planned relocation of Project C.U.R.E.'s drug
22addiction treatment program out of West Dayton when he became
23ill; and
 

 

 

SR0429- 3 -LRB102 18974 LAW 27702 r

1    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. was a member of the Ethan
2Temple Seventh-Day Adventist Church, the National Association
3for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern
4Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), The Model Cities
5Planning Council, Northwest Priority Board, and the Southern
6Dayton View Association; he co-founded the Dayton Youth
7Coalition; he loved cooking, eating, and fellowship with
8family, friends, and neighbors; and
 
9    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. was known for being talented,
10highly skilled, and one of a kind; he was always there to
11supply, support, and guide towards a resolution, whether it
12was providing housing, employment, assistance with getting out
13of jail, supplying food, or referring people to appropriate
14professionals and agencies; he will be remembered as a beloved
15community activist, leader, friend, and mentor; and
 
16    WHEREAS, George Roebuck Jr. was preceded in death by his
17parents, George L. Roebuck Sr. and Vivian Roebuck; therefore,
18be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
21George L. "Sonny" Roebuck Jr. and extend our sincere
22condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved

 

 

SR0429- 4 -LRB102 18974 LAW 27702 r

1him; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of George Roebuck Jr. as an expression
4of our deepest sympathy.