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
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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.