HR0006 LRB094 05797 CSA 35850 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Samuel A. Patch, a longtime aide and strategist to
3 former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, died January 5, 2005;
4 he was 71; and
 
5     WHEREAS, He was born in Chicago, the second youngest of
6 nine children; a graduate of Englewood High School and Kentucky
7 State University, he served in the Army and was a delegate to
8 the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention and chairman of the
9 Illinois Black Caucus in 1974; he established a friendship with
10 Harold Washington as the two were coming up in 3rd Ward
11 politics in the late 1950s, and later became his closest
12 confidant; and
 
13     WHEREAS, He lived in Chicago's 3rd Ward for most of his
14 life, and made a tremendous imprint there; he helped to develop
15 many of the innovative, creative programs of then-Alderman
16 Ralph Metcalfe that sought to improve the quality of life for
17 young people; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Although he never fully retired from politics, he
19 established Balton Corporation, a successful national
20 wholesale distribution business that specializes in paper and
21 janitorial products and restaurant supplies; despite his full
22 schedule, family was his top priority; and
 
23     WHEREAS, He was an avid Bears fan; described as a serious,
24 quiet man, he showed a different side in the football stadium;
25 it is his quiet behind-the-scenes actions that will be missed
26 most, especially by the city's African-American community,
27 which has lost a political giant; he was involved in most, if
28 not all, of the political movements of the South Side for the
29 past 50 years; and
 
30     WHEREAS, The passing of Samuel A. Patch will be felt by all

 

 

HR0006 - 2 - LRB094 05797 CSA 35850 r

1 who knew and loved him, especially his daughter, Shari Wilson;
2 his sisters, Vern Blackburn and Guiletta Hudson, his brothers,
3 Eugene and Milton; and his grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
4     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6 we mourn the passing of Samuel A. Patch and we extend our
7 sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and community;
8 and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10 presented to his family as an expression of our deepest
11 sympathy.