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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of
3 Illinois learned with regret of the passing of Prentiss
4 Thompson of Aurora on Monday, October 20, 2003; and
5 WHEREAS, Prentiss Thompson was born on March 4, 1932 in
6 Oxford, Mississippi to Webster and Bessie (Peel) Thompson;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, A longtime union steward with Sealmaster
9 Bearing, Prentiss Thompson was one of the founding members of
10 the Aurora Community Study Circles pilot program and served
11 as its vice president when it was established in 1996; Study
12 Circles runs 20 to 30 groups a year to discuss diversity
13 issues facing Aurora; Prentiss Thompson attended most of
14 those groups and helped facilitate some of them; and
15 WHEREAS, In early 2003, Prentiss Thompson was appointed
16 to the African American Heritage Advisory Board, a new panel
17 charged with overseeing various Aurora events pertaining to
18 the black community; although Mr. Thompson was a leader in
19 the black community, his endeavors were known throughout the
20 city; and
21 WHEREAS, Prentiss Thompson's Christian beliefs were a
22 guiding force in his life; he served as a deacon at Gayles
23 Memorial Baptist in Aurora for longer than the 23 years the
24 Rev. George Marshall had been the pastor there; Mr. Thompson
25 was a spiritual leader for the church, someone who always was
26 positive and believed strongly that anything could be
27 accomplished if one put one's mind to it; as a youth director
28 at the church, Mr. Thompson was a strong motivator and always
29 stressed how essential education was; therefore, be it
30 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
31 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
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1 all who knew and loved him, the death of Prentiss Thompson of
2 Aurora; and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to the family of Prentiss Thompson as an expression
5 of our sincerest condolences.