093_SR0165

 
                                     LRB093 11797 KEF 15823 r

 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  Senate  of  the  State  of
 3    Illinois  were  saddened  to  learn  of the death of Ira Lois
 4    Calvert of East St. Louis on March 22, 2003; and

 5        WHEREAS, Mrs. Calvert was born on March 9, 1921  in  East
 6    St. Louis; she was the fifth child of eleven children born to
 7    the  parentage  of  the  late Reverend Warren Hudson, Sr. and
 8    Mrs. Lois Murphy Hudson; she grew up in East  St.  Louis  and
 9    was  baptized  in  the  Mississippi River and united with the
10    Pigrim Baptist Church; and

11        WHEREAS, Mrs. Calvert attended Dunbar  Elementary  School
12    and  graduated from Lincoln Senior High School; she furthered
13    her  education  at  Lincoln  University  in  Jefferson  City,
14    Missouri; and

15        WHEREAS, In 1942, she was united in Holy Matrimony to the
16    late Virgil Lloyd Calvert, II, and to this union one son  was
17    born; and

18        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Calvert  was  an  entrepreneur,  one  who
19    organized, managed and assumed the risks of business; she was
20    the  Secretary  and  co-owner  with  her  husband  in Calvert
21    Funeral Home until it closed; she was also employed by  Shell
22    Oil  Company;  her last place of employment was with the East
23    St. Louis Health District from which she retired; and

24        WHEREAS, Mrs. Calvert was a member of the Lioness Club of
25    Illinois and the American Cancer Society; she was  the  first
26    female  to serve as Alderman, appointed on December 29, 1982,
27    by Mayor Carl E. Officer and elected Alderman of Ward  2,  in
28    April  of 1985; her last meeting as Alderman of Ward 2 was on
29    May 3, 1989; she was an advocate for equal rights and  worked
30    diligently for the youth in the community; she was a pioneer,
31    opening  avenues and preparing ways for others to follow; she
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11797 KEF 15823 r
 1    was a woman of determination, love,  excellence,  commitment,
 2    and sacrifice; and

 3        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Calvert's  passing will be deeply felt by
 4    many, especially her grandaughter, Virginia Lynn Calvert; her
 5    step-grandaughter,  Alesia   Renee   (Michael)   Jones;   her
 6    daughter-in-law,  Sheila M. Calvert; her three sisters, Alice
 7    Cason,  Inez  Drake,  and   Alma   Ruth   Adolph;   her   one
 8    brother-in-law,   Reverend   Roosevelt   Adolph;   her   four
 9    sisters-in-law,  Delores Hudson, Willie Bea Hudson, Quintella
10    Calvert, and Doris Calvert  Black;  and  a  host  of  nieces,
11    nephews, and other relatives; and

12        WHEREAS,  She  was preceded in death by both parents; her
13    husband, Virgil Lloyd Calvert, II; her only child, Virgil  L.
14    Calvert,  III,  affectionately  known  as  "Skip";  her  five
15    brothers,   Major,   Warren  Jr.,  Lee  Andrew,  Albert,  and
16    Clarence; and her two sisters, Lovie and Gertrude; therefore,
17    be it

18        RESOLVED, BY  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL
19    ASSEMBLY  OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing
20    of Ira Lois Calvert along with all who knew and loved her and
21    extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends; and
22    be it further

23        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
24    presented  to the family of Ira Lois Calvert as an expression
25    of our deepest sympathy.