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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois learned with great sadness of the death of
4 John H. Johnson, founder, publisher, and chairman of Johnson
5 Publishing Company, Inc., on August 8, 2005; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson was the founder of a major
7 international media and cosmetics empire that includes EBONY
8 and JET magazines, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, and EBONY Fashion
9 Fair; Johnson Publishing is the number one African-American
10 publishing company in the world and was founded in 1942; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson, who borrowed $500 to begin his
12 publishing endeavors, is credited as one of the major
13 trailblazers, and he is recognized as the founder of the
14 African-American consumer market; under his leadership, EBONY
15 magazine has been the biggest Black-owned magazine in the world
16 for 60 straight years; in 2002, he named his daughter, Linda
17 Johnson Rice, the chief operating officer, CEO of the company,
18 but he retained the title of chairman and publisher until his
19 death; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Mr. Johnson received
21 several awards, including the highest civilian honor, The
22 Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the Magazine
23 Publisher's Association Publisher of the Year Award, the
24 Advertising Hall of Fame Award, the Arkansas Business Hall of
25 Fame Award, the National Business Hall of Fame Award, the
26 Greatest Minority Entrepreneur Award, the Horatio Alger Award,
27 and the NAACP Spingarn Award; in 2003, Howard University in
28 Washington, D.C., established the John H. Johnson School of
29 Communications in his honor; in 2005, the John H. Johnson Delta
30 Cultural and Entrepreneurial Learning Center in Arkansas City,
31 Arkansas, was dedicated; and
 

 

 

HR0591 - 2 - LRB094 13512 HSS 48375 r

1     WHEREAS, He received several honorary doctoral degrees
2 from universities including Harvard University, the University
3 of Southern California, Northwestern University, Howard
4 University, and Morehouse College; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson was born in poverty in Arkansas City,
6 Arkansas, in 1918; he credited the love and determination of
7 his mother, the late Gertrude Johnson Williams, for starting
8 him on the road to success; throughout his career he was
9 supported by his wife, Eunice W. Johnson, secretary-treasurer
10 of the company; and his daughter, President & CEO Linda Johnson
11 Rice; he is also survived by his granddaughter, Alexa;
12 therefore, be it
 
13     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15 we mourn the passing of John H. Johnson, and we extend our
16 deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and
17 loved him; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to his family as an expression of our sincerest
20 condolences for the loss of a great man.