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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Alice Ruth Clark Brown, who passed
4away on June 6, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Alice Brown was born Alice Ruth Clark to Charles
6and Mattie Clark in Chicago on August 22, 1952; a product of
7Burke Elementary School, she blossomed into a stellar student
8at DuSable High School; in 2004, she earned a Bachelor of Arts
9in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago; and
 
10    WHEREAS, As an Andy Frain usher, Alice Brown was noticed
11by an official for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus; a
12year later, in 1972, she became the first Black
13dancer/aerialist in Ringling's Blue Unit, which was one of the
14circus' two touring companies; she enjoyed recounting nights
15of riding elephants and days of living on the circus train,
16visiting major metropolitan cities and small towns along the
17way; she and two other Ringling performers were once
18interviewed on national television by Barbara Walters; after
19three years, she left the circus; soon thereafter, she became
20a tour guide at Johnson Publishing Co.'s headquarters in
21Chicago, where she met her future husband, journalist Geoffrey
22F. Brown; they married on June 4, 1977 and had two children;
23and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, After moving with her family to Oak Park in 1986,
2Alice Brown began to pursue creative endeavors, acting, music,
3and writing; in 1993, she portrayed Nettie in the original
4cast of the Black Ensemble Theater's production of Precious
5Lord, Take My Hand; later, she sang at jazz open microphone
6events across the Chicago area with the stage name "Brandee"
7Brown; she played piano for several semesters with the Triton
8Community College jazz band; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Alice Brown had a passion for writing, and she
10penned short stories, plays, poems and freelance newspaper
11articles; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Alice Brown's concern for the plights of others
13led her to training for substance abuse counseling; she also
14donated time to a domestic abuse hot line;; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Alice Brown was a proud member and vice president
16of the DuSable High School Alumni Coalition; in large part due
17to the coalition's efforts, the City of Chicago granted the
18high school campus landmark status in 2013; she moderated a
19conversation with renowned historian, activist, and educator
20Timuel D. Black for the Illinois Humanities Council about the
21legacy of DuSable High School in 2018, as he was in the
22school's first graduating class in 1937; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Alice Brown is survived by her husband; her son,
2Geoffrey Jr.; her daughter, Christina; her brother, Gerry; her
3sister, Anna; her niece, Shana; and several cousins;
4therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
7Alice Ruth Clark Brown and extend our sincere condolences to
8her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
9further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of Alice Brown as an expression of our
12deepest sympathy.