Full Text of HR0928 95th General Assembly
HR0928 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of
John F. | 4 |
| Stroger Jr., who passed away on January 18, 2008; and
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| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. was born on May 19, 1929 in | 6 |
| Helena, Arkansas; his parents were John and Ella (Jones) | 7 |
| Stroger; and
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| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. graduated from Eliza Miller | 9 |
| High School in 1949; after graduation, he attended Xavier | 10 |
| University of Louisiana, the only black Catholic university in | 11 |
| the nation, earning a degree in accounting; he taught school, | 12 |
| coached basketball, and worked closely with the NAACP, where he | 13 |
| vigorously fought for the abolishment of poll taxes; and
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| WHEREAS, At his mother's urging, John F. Stroger Jr. moved | 15 |
| to Chicago in 1953, where he became involved in Chicago's South | 16 |
| Side Democratic Party; there, he went under the tutelage of | 17 |
| political legends such as William Dawson, Ralph Metcalfe, and | 18 |
| Harold Washington; during this time, he met and fell in love | 19 |
| with Yonnie Rita; together, they had three children, Yonnie | 20 |
| Lynn, Hans Eric, and Todd Herman; and
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| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. was appointed as an assistant |
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| auditor with the Municipal Court of Chicago in 1954; he served | 2 |
| as personnel director for the Cook County Jail from 1955 to | 3 |
| 1961; while working as a financial director of the State of | 4 |
| Illinois Department of Revenue, he earned his law degree from | 5 |
| DePaul University College of Law in 1965; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1968, John F. Stroger Jr. was elected Chicago's | 7 |
| 8th Ward Committeeman, where his love of people and politics | 8 |
| catapulted the ward to one of the highest vote-getting wards in | 9 |
| the city; after his election to the Cook County Board of | 10 |
| Commissioners in 1970, he went on to chair every major | 11 |
| committee, including the Finance, Health, Building, and Zoning | 12 |
| committees; and
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| WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, John F. Stroger Jr. united | 14 |
| with the League of Women Voters in order to establish | 15 |
| single-member district representation in Cook County; his work | 16 |
| to make county commissioners more visible, accountable, and | 17 |
| accessible earned him the nickname "Father of Districting"; | 18 |
| thanks to his monumental efforts, single-member district | 19 |
| representation became a reality in 1994; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, In 1994, John F. Stroger Jr. was elected to serve | 21 |
| as the first African-American president of the Cook County | 22 |
| Board and Forest Preserve District, a position he served | 23 |
| faithfully for 12 years; as president, he balanced |
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| multi-billion dollar budgets, launched a domestic violence | 2 |
| courthouse, instituted a Juvenile Drug Court, appointed a | 3 |
| Commission on Women's Issues, and opened an AIDS treatment and | 4 |
| research facility; in 2002, he was instrumental in the creation | 5 |
| of a state-of-the-art hospital, which was later named after him | 6 |
| in his honor; and
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| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. was a past president of the | 8 |
| National Association of Counties; he was appointed by former | 9 |
| President Bill Clinton to serve on the Advisory Committee On | 10 |
| Intergovernmental Relations; he also had a deep relationship | 11 |
| with the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; and
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| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. was a longtime member of St. | 13 |
| Felicitas Catholic Church; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. was preceded in death by his | 15 |
| parents and his son, Hans Eric; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. is survived by his wife; his | 17 |
| daughter, Yonnie Lynn (LaRon); his son, Todd Herman (Jeanine); | 18 |
| his grandchildren, Hans Eric and Claire Monique; and his many | 19 |
| nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, John F. Stroger Jr. will be remembered by all who | 21 |
| knew and loved him as a compassionate, loyal, and strong man |
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| whose willingness to help the disenfranchised was legendary; | 2 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 4 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 5 |
| mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of John | 6 |
| F. Stroger Jr.; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 |
| presented to the family of John F. Stroger Jr. as an expression | 9 |
| of our sympathy.
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