Full Text of SR0666 95th General Assembly
SR0666 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
SR0666 |
|
LRB095 20756 GRL 49282 r |
|
| 1 |
| SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of
Leon Finney Sr. of Chicago, who passed | 4 |
| away on April 4, 2008; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. was born in Mississippi; he was | 6 |
| the son of entrepreneur T.J. Huddleston; he moved to Chicago | 7 |
| around 1938, hoping to join the military; and
| 8 |
| WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. was the founder and owner of the | 9 |
| Leon's Bar-B-Q chain; he founded the business in 1941, after | 10 |
| the police broke up a bookie joint in the basement of a | 11 |
| barbecue shop on Garfield Boulevard in Chicago; after the raid, | 12 |
| the owner offered to sell the barbecue restaurant for $700, the | 13 |
| price of the refrigerator; after his father wired him the | 14 |
| money, he opened Leon's Bar-B-Q, which has since become a | 15 |
| staple of Chicago's culinary history and is frequently on food | 16 |
| critic lists for the best ribs in Chicago; and
| 17 |
| WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. kept Leon's Bar-B-Q open | 18 |
| continuously since 1941, except for a break in the 1950s when | 19 |
| meat prices were too high; his late wife, Adeline, helped run | 20 |
| the restaurants; he was active in running his restaurants until | 21 |
| his health began to decline in 2002; and
|
|
|
|
SR0666 |
- 2 - |
LRB095 20756 GRL 49282 r |
|
| 1 |
| WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. was an active advocate of | 2 |
| African-American business and community organizations, helping | 3 |
| numerous African-Americans create many businesses in the City | 4 |
| of Chicago and beyond; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. is survived by his six children, | 6 |
| Rev. Leon Finney Jr., Gwendlyn Woods, Michael, Michelle, Andre, | 7 |
| and Zenobia Rene; and his nine grandchildren; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. will be remembered by all who knew | 9 |
| and loved him for his dedication to his profession and his | 10 |
| willingness to help his fellow entrepreneurs; therefore, be it
| 11 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 12 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 13 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Leon Finney Sr.; and be | 14 |
| it further
| 15 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 |
| presented to the family of Leon Finney Sr. as an expression of | 17 |
| our sympathy.
|
|