SR1138 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1138 LRB102 28556 LAW 40433 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Raymond Allen Murray Jr. of the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Raymond Murray was born in 1923 and was one of eight children; he graduated from Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Raymond Murray enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943; he reported to Montford Point, the segregated base outside Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, becoming one of the 20,000 Black marines to break the color barrier through integrating the Marine Corps during World War II; he was a steward and rifleman who served in combat against Japanese forces at the Battle of Okinawa, and he ultimately earned the rank of sergeant; during his service, he also boxed, winning a featherweight title in a competition among troops serving in the Pacific theater in Yokohama, Japan; and

WHEREAS, After the war, Raymond Murray mixed Canfield's pop at the old A.J. Canfield Company bottler in Chicago; he was also a driver for what is known today as PepsiCo; and

WHEREAS, Raymond Murray coached boxing for the Chicago Park District, becoming a mentor, father figure, and hero to many; and

WHEREAS, Raymond Murray served as a Democratic precinct captain in the sixth ward and was a member of the Chicago chapter of the Montford Point Marine Association, Inc. (MPMA); for being one of the original Montford Point Marines, he received a Congressional Gold Medal in Chicago in 2012; and

WHEREAS, Raymond Murray will especially be remembered for serving his country with tenacity, valor, and distinction; and

WHEREAS, Raymond Murray is survived by his wife, Esther; his stepdaughter, LaDonna Bonner; and his sister, Frances; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Raymond Allen Murray Jr. and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Raymond Murray as an expression of our deepest sympathy.