Full Text of HR0737 94th General Assembly
HR0737 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0737 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House are pleased to | 3 |
| honor Cleo Johnson, founder and director of Cleo Johnson's | 4 |
| School of Charm and Modeling Agency, and congratulate her on | 5 |
| her lifetime achievements; and
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| WHEREAS, In the 1950s professional modeling as a career was | 7 |
| extremely limited; upon graduating from the now defunct Academy | 8 |
| of Charm in 1951, Cleo Johnson found that opportunities for | 9 |
| black women, in particular, being trained as fashion models | 10 |
| were not the best; after personally experiencing the extreme | 11 |
| racial discrimination that period of history produced, Mrs. | 12 |
| Johnson felt that one day a door would open for women of all | 13 |
| races; she also had a strong desire to share the expert | 14 |
| knowledge she had acquired in the field of high fashion | 15 |
| modeling; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1956, Mrs. Johnson organized Cleo Johnson's | 17 |
| School of Charm and Modeling; the school's mission was to train | 18 |
| women and men to improve their appearance, attitude, and | 19 |
| behavior; the end result would make the difference between | 20 |
| success and failure; students were prepared to take command in | 21 |
| any situation, whether in the office, schoolroom, hospital, or | 22 |
| across the breakfast table; and
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| WHEREAS, During the past fifty years, Cleo Johnson has | 24 |
| provided a professional modeling program of
high quality; in | 25 |
| addition, Mrs. Johnson has guided literally thousands of | 26 |
| individuals to successful
professions other than modeling, | 27 |
| which has resulted in helping them succeed in today's
market; | 28 |
| some of the school's past graduates include Gary Gray Jr. (cast | 29 |
| member of the original Bill Cosby television sitcom), the late | 30 |
| Minnie Riperton (top recording artist), Sherri
"Peaches" | 31 |
| Brewer Bronfman (actress who appeared in the movie Shaft and | 32 |
| the musical Hello
Dolly), and Cardiss Collins (former Illinois |
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| Congresswoman); even though these individuals and
many more | 2 |
| were groomed by Mrs. Johnson and achieved beyond the norm, Mrs. | 3 |
| Johnson excelled in motivating the average child and adult to | 4 |
| develop healthy self esteem; Mrs. Johnson
deeply felt that if | 5 |
| an individual was not able to overcome low self esteem, it | 6 |
| could lead to introversion, withdrawal from normal life, and a | 7 |
| waste of one's potential; Mrs. Johnson never
turned away anyone | 8 |
| who asked for her guidance; one example was a young lady who | 9 |
| was handicapped and totally relied on a wheelchair for her | 10 |
| mobility; she is now a past graduate; and
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| WHEREAS, Over the years, various business people have | 12 |
| offered Mrs. Johnson positions in their companies; she never | 13 |
| accepted; she stuck with her dream of helping others obtain | 14 |
| their dreams; not worried about fame or fortune, Mrs. Johnson | 15 |
| has held on to the power of faith, hope, and charity, which | 16 |
| have motivated her actions; as a result, Cleo Johnson's School | 17 |
| of Charm and Modeling Agency is the first and only black owned | 18 |
| and operated modeling school which has existed to serve the | 19 |
| community for the past fifty years; and
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| WHEREAS, Cleo Johnson has received numerous awards | 21 |
| attesting to her outstanding achievements, contributions, and | 22 |
| service, including, most recently: 1991, Founders' Award, | 23 |
| Modeling Association of America International; 1992, Career | 24 |
| Day Award; 1993, Salute to Our Youth Award; 1994, Charter | 25 |
| Member Award, Modeling Association of America International; | 26 |
| 1995, In the News Award; 1996, Hirsch Metro High School | 27 |
| Partners in Education Award; 1996, Most Elegant Woman Around | 28 |
| Award, Harold Necklas, Chairman; 1996, Pioneer of the Year; | 29 |
| 1996 and 1997, Woman of the Rock; 1998, The African American | 30 |
| Award; 1999, Forty Years of Service and Achievement Award, | 31 |
| Ethel Mae Hawkins; and 2005, Black On Black Love Award; and
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| WHEREAS, On Sunday, November 6, 2005, at 4:00 P.M., at the | 33 |
| Sabre Room, 3900 W. 95th
Street, in Hickory Hills, Illinois, |
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HR0737 |
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| the past graduates of the past fifty years of Cleo Johnson's
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| School of Charm and Modeling Agency will pay tribute to Cleo | 3 |
| Johnson, the school's founder
and director; with this tribute, | 4 |
| Mrs. Johnson ("Chicago's First Lady of Fashion") will be | 5 |
| recognized
for her pioneering spirit as a fashion icon, | 6 |
| leadership, accomplishments in the field
of professional | 7 |
| modeling, locally and nationally, consummate teacher, and | 8 |
| dedicated support and
service to Chicago's educational, | 9 |
| religious, and civic community; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 11 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 12 |
| we honor Cleo Johnson, founder and director of Cleo Johnson's | 13 |
| School of Charm and Modeling Agency, and congratulate her on | 14 |
| her lifetime achievements; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 |
| presented to Cleo Johnson as an expression of our respect, | 17 |
| admiration, and esteem.
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