Full Text of SR0312 94th General Assembly
SR0312 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 deep regret of the death of Dr. LaRona Jane Morris | 4 |
| on Saturday, July 2, 2005; and
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| WHEREAS, LaRona Jane Walls was born on November 16, 1942, | 6 |
| to James Clark Walls and Norma Slack Walls; she attended Dunbar | 7 |
| Elementary, Hughes Quinn Junior High, and graduated from East | 8 |
| St. Louis Senior High in January of 1960; she attended the | 9 |
| Mildred Louis Business College and began working at Scott Air | 10 |
| Force Base; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, On February 11, 1962, she married Mr. Oreido | 12 |
| (Perry) Morris; she received her bachelor's degree in business | 13 |
| education and her master's degree in counseling education, both | 14 |
| from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville; in 1988, she | 15 |
| earned a doctorate in educational administration and higher | 16 |
| education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, | 17 |
| along with her sister, Dr. Stephanie Carpenter; and
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| WHEREAS, While an undergraduate student, Dr. Morris became | 19 |
| a member of the Gamma Beta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority | 20 |
| in Edwardsville; her activism in her local chapter and | 21 |
| leadership skills launched a trajectory of sorority service | 22 |
| that gained her regional and national attention; her | 23 |
| accomplishments as International Grand | 24 |
| Anti-Grammateus/Secretary of Board led to her election as the | 25 |
| 18th Grand Basileus in 1996; and | 26 |
| WHEREAS, During her directorship, she was responsible for | 27 |
| the conception and initiation of Operation Book Bag, a program | 28 |
| that provided school supplies to disadvantaged children; it was | 29 |
| also under these auspices that she created an adolescent youth | 30 |
| symposium to address the problems of today's youth; a Sigma | 31 |
| legacy herself, she was pleased to have led many family members |
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| and friends into Sigma's circle of sisterhood and to have her | 2 |
| legacy live on; and | 3 |
| WHEREAS, After working for many years as a civilian at | 4 |
| Scott Air Force Base, Dr. Morris became involved both civically | 5 |
| and politically in an unparalleled manner; beginning as a | 6 |
| Special Assistant to James E. Williams, Sr., the first | 7 |
| African-American mayor of East St. Louis, she represented the | 8 |
| city on numerous radio talk shows and public events, which | 9 |
| helped to hone her skills as a gifted orator; she also served | 10 |
| as Deputy City Clerk and Legislative Assistant to the East St. | 11 |
| Louis City Council; and
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| WHEREAS, Her love of education and commitment to youth led | 13 |
| to employment as a Special Assistant to the St. Clair County | 14 |
| Regional Superintendent of Schools for 13 years; she served as | 15 |
| assistant principal, and then principal, of the Edward H. Wirth | 16 |
| Middle School, Cahokia School District No. 187; she also worked | 17 |
| as an assistant principal at Cahokia High School, where she | 18 |
| oversaw the alternative program; and
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| WHEREAS, She was elected to the East St. Louis Board of | 20 |
| Education, School District No. 189, in 1997 and was a member of | 21 |
| the reform team that facilitated many changes in the District; | 22 |
| she was especially proud of chairing the School Uniform | 23 |
| committee and realizing the successful adoption and | 24 |
| implementation of the K-12 mandate for school uniforms; she | 25 |
| also spearheaded the inclusion of the JROTC as a vital part of | 26 |
| the high school program; and
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| WHEREAS, She won a second term in 2001, but resigned to | 28 |
| serve as assistant principal of her alma mater, East St. Louis | 29 |
| Senior High School; she was later employed as the principal of | 30 |
| Clark Junior High School; during her leisure time, she enjoyed | 31 |
| roller skating, collecting and reading comic books, and working | 32 |
| jigsaw puzzles; she had a lifelong affiliation with the Church |
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| of God in Christ Congregational Church; and
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| WHEREAS, In addition to her sorority involvement, she | 3 |
| participated in numerous civic activities and organizations, | 4 |
| including the NAACP, Illinois Women Administrators, National | 5 |
| Council of Negro Women, Business and Professional Women, The | 6 |
| East St. Louis Principals Association, the American Institute | 7 |
| of Parliamentarians, the Optimists, Order of the Eastern Star, | 8 |
| Order of the Elks, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts; her educational | 9 |
| affiliations include Phi Delta Kappa Educational Fraternity, | 10 |
| Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society, and American MENSA, Ltd.; | 11 |
| because of her public service, professional contributions, and | 12 |
| political endeavors, she received over 150 honors and awards, | 13 |
| including acknowledgements in "Ebony", "Jet", and "Black | 14 |
| Enterprise" magazines; and
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| WHEREAS, She loved family and in 1988 founded, organized, | 16 |
| and incorporated Dozens of Cousins, Inc., a connection of the | 17 |
| Cason, Slack, Lawrence, and Anderson families; this 500 member | 18 |
| organization sponsors biennial reunions across the United | 19 |
| States; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Larona Jane Walls Morris has been | 21 |
| deeply felt by many, especially her husband, Oreido; her | 22 |
| children, Bryant (Winona), Ricci, and Crystal (William) | 23 |
| Wilson; her mother, Norma Slack Walls; her grandchildren, | 24 |
| Brianne, Angel LaRona, Crystal M. Morris, Mercedes, and Richard | 25 |
| Morris, and Crystan Wilson; her great-granddaughter, Makayla | 26 |
| Harden; her step-grandchildren, Precious and Nathan Rice; her | 27 |
| sisters, Dr. Stephanie Carpenter, Tanya Rodgers, Pamela D. | 28 |
| Bady, and Sheila Williams; her brother, Kenneth Walls; her | 29 |
| half-sisters, Latisha Perry and Lisa (Anthony) Pearson; her | 30 |
| aunts, Mother Elward L. May and Mrs. Jessie (George) Galloway; | 31 |
| her great-aunt and great-uncle, Mr. Eddie (Rose Evelyn) | 32 |
| Langford; her great-aunts, Mrs. Louise Slack, Mrs. Mildred | 33 |
| Langford, and Mrs. Susie Langford; and her special childhood |
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| friend, Mrs. Earnestine Fowler; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 3 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 4 |
| Dr. LaRona Jane Walls Morris, and we extend our deepest | 5 |
| sympathy to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 6 |
| her; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 |
| presented to her family as an expression of our sincerest | 9 |
| condolences for their loss.
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