Full Text of SR0221 94th General Assembly
SR0221 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois | 3 |
| learned with sadness of the death of Gwendolyn Blackburn on | 4 |
| April 8, 2005; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was born Gwendolyn Sharlita | 6 |
| Finch on January 15, 1935, to Marie M. Finch and John L. Finch; | 7 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was the fourth child, joining | 9 |
| eldest sibling Gloria (Moseberry); her brother, John, Jr.; and | 10 |
| her sister, Anita (Wright); and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn, in her formative years, | 12 |
| attended Edmund Burke Elementary School, A.O. Sexton | 13 |
| Elementary, and Englewood High School; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn married Clifton H. Blackburn | 15 |
| on February 17, 1953; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was a sales associate for | 17 |
| Archway Cookies and Parker House Sausages; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was a den mother for the Cub | 19 |
| Scouts and a 4-H leader; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn attended cosmetology school | 21 |
| and Teachers College; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was a freelance demonstrator | 23 |
| for Jesse Owens Marketing; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was the owner of Ask Gwen | 25 |
| Bridal for 20 years, the first black woman in the bridal | 26 |
| business in Chicago, and she ran several businesses from home, |
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| including event planning, catering, clothing design, antiques, | 2 |
| and collectibles; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was active in the civil rights | 4 |
| movement having been an organizer for the March on Washington; | 5 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was a teacher in the Freedom | 7 |
| School, teaching black family values to our youth; and
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| WHEREAS, Gwendolyn Blackburn was the loving wife and proud | 9 |
| mother of three independent thinking sons, Kahil, Chelton, and | 10 |
| Cherman; the doting grandmother to her ten grandchildren; a | 11 |
| mother to countless young women; and a role model to all who | 12 |
| came within her beguiling ways; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 14 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 15 |
| Gwendolyn Blackburn, and we extend our sincerest condolences to | 16 |
| her friends, family, and community; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 |
| presented to her family as an expression of our deepest | 19 |
| sympathy.
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