Full Text of SR0338 96th General Assembly
SR0338 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of
Willie David Cooper, who passed away on | 4 |
| June 19, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper was born on May 27, 1949 in | 6 |
| Birmingham, Alabama; his parents were JD and Zattie Mae Cooper; | 7 |
| he and his family moved to La Grange in 1955 and then to | 8 |
| Maywood in 1957; he attended Washington Elementary and | 9 |
| graduated from Proviso East High School in 1967; during high | 10 |
| school, he was a standout halfback on the high school football | 11 |
| team and a well respected member of the concert choir; he | 12 |
| continued his education at Triton College in River Grove, where | 13 |
| he trained as a counselor and co-founded the Black Student | 14 |
| Association and the Baha'i Club; and
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper provided professional services as a | 16 |
| counselor to at-risk youths throughout the State of Illinois; | 17 |
| he also dealt with the elderly and special needs clients, | 18 |
| including those with cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, | 19 |
| deafness, quadriplegia, and autism; and
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper was a former member of the Second | 21 |
| Baptist Church in La Grange; in 1967, he embraced the teachings | 22 |
| of the Baha'i Faith, to which he remained dedicated for the |
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| rest of his life as a path to help bring about social justice, | 2 |
| the oneness of humanity, and the unity of religion; as a highly | 3 |
| reputed community activist and organizer, he was the founder | 4 |
| and chair of the Maywood Residents' Council, an association of | 5 |
| 125 block clubs whose goal it was to work with residents to | 6 |
| improve the quality of community life; he served as a | 7 |
| Recreation Counselor for the Village of Maywood and formerly | 8 |
| served as a Counselor for the Ray Graham Association, Hart | 9 |
| Grove Hospital, Rivers Edge Hospital, and Arise, Inc.; he was | 10 |
| also one of the original members of the Maywood Alliance for | 11 |
| Better Government, a group responsible for determining the | 12 |
| viability of candidates for local elections; in the fall of | 13 |
| 2004, he moved to the Madison, Wisconsin area, where he | 14 |
| remained until his passing; and
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper was the author of a self-published | 16 |
| volume entitled "Through the Pupil of the Eye" a collection of | 17 |
| poems which examined principles of personal responsibility, | 18 |
| the plight and injustices of the oppressed, and youth issues | 19 |
| and made a fervent appeal to approach life on its own terms; | 20 |
| his works were recorded and performed in public and private | 21 |
| venues with keyboardist and composer Joah Greengus as "The Sons | 22 |
| of Light" in consciousness-raising gatherings from 1995 | 23 |
| through 2005; he also had a great talent and appreciation for | 24 |
| fine foods and dining and offered catering services during his | 25 |
| later years in Maywood; and |
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper was preceded in death by his | 2 |
| brothers, JD Cooper, Jr., and Danny K. Cooper; his mother, | 3 |
| Zattie Mae Cooper; and his grandmother, Tanner Wheeler; and
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper is survived by his brother, Leo | 5 |
| Cooper and his wife, Kathy; his aunt, Mary E. Lucas; and his | 6 |
| numerous friends and co-workers; and
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| WHEREAS, David Cooper will be remembered by all who knew | 8 |
| and loved him as a wonderful man, whose passion and dedication | 9 |
| for his faith, his family, his friends, his writing, and his | 10 |
| cooking were unmatched; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 12 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 13 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Willie David Cooper; and | 14 |
| be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 |
| presented to the family of David Cooper as an expression of our | 17 |
| sympathy.
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