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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, State Representative Monique D. Davis and the
3members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened
4to learn of the death of Benjamin C. Duster III of Chicago, who
5passed away on February 11, 2011; and
 
6    WHEREAS, He was the grandson of Ida B. Wells, legendary
7anti-lynching crusader; she was born a slave and later became a
8journalist, suffragist, and a founder of the NAACP; and
 
9    WHEREAS, He was born in Bronzeville and grew up during the
10Depression; he was the oldest of five children born to Alfreda
11and Benjamin Duster; he was influenced by his mother, who
12graduated from the University of Chicago and was sought out by
13many for her guidance; and
 
14    WHEREAS, He attended Wendall Phillips High School and
15graduated as class valedictorian at the age of 16; he studied
16electrical engineering at the University of Illinois at
17Urbana-Champaign and joined Alpha Phi Alpha; after the passing
18of his father, he returned home to help his mother, working as
19a bricklayer and running an auto garage and construction firm,
20all while attending night classes at DePaul University to
21become a lawyer; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, He served in the United States Army as an ordnance
2technician in the early 1950s; he ran against political
3powerhouse "Big Bill" Dawson for the 1st District congressional
4seat in 1962, losing the election but taking on the political
5"Machine" of Chicago; and
 
6    WHEREAS, He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago
7in 1967 and worked at the investment firm of G.H. Walker &
8Company; his volunteer work with education in the late 1960s
9and early 1970s helped bring about later school reform; and
 
10    WHEREAS, He opened his own law firm and worked there for 30
11years, specializing in residential and commercial real estate;
12he was president of Seaway Communications for a brief time; he
13was named chair of the Illinois Commission on Human Rights by
14former Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie, serving from 1971 to
151973; and
 
16    WHEREAS, He loved barbecuing ribs and shrimp on a large
17grill he fashioned himself; he loved deviled eggs, theater,
18especially works by August Wilson, and "Les Miserables"; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Benjamin C. Duster III is survived by his wife,
20Murrell; his son, Benjamin Duster IV; his brothers, Donald and
21Troy; his daughters, Alice Pennamon and Muriel DeVore; his
22sister, Alfreda Duster Ferrell; and his 11 grandchildren;

 

 

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1therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
5Benjamin C. Duster III; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the family of Benjamin C. Duster III as a symbol
8of our sincere sympathy.