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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Don
4Cornelius, who passed away on February 1, 2012; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Don Cornelius was born on September 27, 1936, in
6Chicago, and was raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood; after
7graduating from DuSable High School in 1954, he joined the
8United States Marine Corps, where he served for 18 months in
9Korea; and
 
10    WHEREAS, After his stint in the military, Don Cornelius
11worked at various jobs, including selling tires, automobiles,
12and insurance, and as an officer with the Chicago Police
13Department; he also married his high school sweetheart, Delores
14Harrison, during this time; in 1966, he quit his day job to
15take a 3-month broadcasting course; that same year, he landed a
16job as an announcer, news reporter, and disc jockey on Chicago
17radio station WVON; in 1967, he joined Chicago television
18station WCIU-TV and hosted a news program called "A Black's
19View of the News"; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Don Cornelius was best known as the creator of the
21nationally-syndicated dance/music franchise "Soul Train"; in
221969, he launched "Soul Train" on WCIU-TV as a daily local

 

 

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1show; the program entered national syndication and moved to Los
2Angeles the following year; he served as the host of the
3popular program from 1971 to 1993; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Through his show, Don Cornelius introduced many
5African-American musicians to a larger audience; as writer,
6producer, and host of "Soul Train", he was instrumental in
7offering wider exposure to such musicians as James Brown,
8Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson, as well as creating
9opportunities for talented dancers that would inspire
10subsequent television dance programs; at its peak, "Soul Train"
11was watched in over 105 cities throughout the United States and
12reached over 85% of African-American households; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In addition to his work on "Soul Train", Don
14Cornelius was the driving force behind the creation of the Soul
15Train Music Awards in 1987 and the Lady of Soul Awards in 1995;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, Don Cornelius is survived by his sons, Anthony and
18Raymond; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Don
22Cornelius; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Don Cornelius as an expression of
3our sympathy.