HR1127 LRB094 20134 LJB 57875 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Darnell Herbert Hawkins, Sr. was born on April 7,
3 1916 in Texarkana, Texas, the 8th and final child of Willie and
4 Lizzie Ann Hawkins; he migrated north to Chicago with his
5 mother and siblings in 1924; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. Hawkins was educated in the Chicago Public
7 School System, graduating from Raymond Elementary in 1930 and
8 Wendell Phillips High School in 1934; he attended Wilson Junior
9 College and later took courses at Y Central College of Chicago;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Mr. Hawkins began his newspaper career in 1931 by
12 delivering the Chicago Herald Examiner and by 1938 he was
13 branch manager for the Chicago Herald-American; by 1941, Mr.
14 Hawkins purchased a Chicago Herald-American Agency, which he
15 successfully ran for 20 years; in 1961, he became the first
16 African-American appointed district manager for the Chicago
17 Herald-American; he retired from the Chicago Tribune in 1976;
18 and
 
19     WHEREAS, Mr. Hawkins has been a phenomenal role model,
20 mentor, and surrogate father for hundreds of boys and young men
21 and remains in contact with many of them to this day; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Along with his newspaper agency and various real
23 estate holdings, Mr. Hawkins' business ventures were wide and
24 varied; he opened a beauty shop in the basement of the family
25 home in 1945, he was an organizer of DuSable Distributors, the
26 first African-American beer distributor, and later opened
27 Wentworth Gardens Liquor Store and Lounge; he served as
28 President of Morgan Park Savings and Loan and was elected to
29 the board of Highland Community Bank; Mr. Hawkins has also
30 served on the boards of the Young Men's Christian Association
31 and the Paul E. Stewart Senior Complex; and
 

 

 

HR1127 - 2 - LRB094 20134 LJB 57875 r

1     WHEREAS, Mr. Hawkins' many interests include enjoying his 5
2 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, golfing, and
3 traveling the globe; 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 congratulate Darnell Herbert Hawkins, Sr. on the occasion of
7 his 90th birthday and wish him many more years of happiness;
8 and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10 presented to Mr. Hawkins as an expression of our respect and
11 esteem.