Full Text of SR0703 97th General Assembly
SR0703 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Alvin J. Boutte, Sr.; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Alvin Boutte, Sr. was born on October 10, 1929, in | 5 | | Lake Charles, Louisiana; his parents were Arthur H. Boutte and | 6 | | Adorea Darensbourg Boutte; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Alvin Boutte, Sr. attended Sacred Heart Grammar | 8 | | and High School; he then continued his education under the | 9 | | Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament at Xavier University in New | 10 | | Orleans, Louisiana on a basketball scholarship; while | 11 | | attending the University he met his future wife, Barbara | 12 | | Gonzaque; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, During college, Alvin Boutte, Sr. established | 14 | | businesses to service the needs of the student body, including | 15 | | a laundry pick up and payment collection business for the male | 16 | | students; after earning his degree in pharmacy, he moved to | 17 | | Chicago where a Xavier track coach, Ralph Metcalfe, had already | 18 | | established himself as Alderman of the 3rd Ward; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, After college, Alvin Boutte, Sr. successfully | 20 | | completed the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School; he attained | 21 | | the rank of Captain and was stationed in Germany; after 2 |
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| 1 | | years, he was honorably discharged and went to Chicago with his | 2 | | wife and daughters, Janice and Jeanette; after migrating to | 3 | | Chicago, he quickly acquired Lakeside Drug Store at 47th and | 4 | | Lake Park; he later turned the store into a chain of stores at | 5 | | 47th and Lake Park, Madison and Western, 79th and Cottage, and | 6 | | 79th and Michigan in Chicago; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In 1964, Alvin Boutte, Sr. became a co-founder of | 8 | | Independence Bank of Chicago; the bank was established to | 9 | | service the needs of the Chatham Avalon community and was | 10 | | dedicated to providing excellent service to its customers and | 11 | | to the professional development of its employees; he was most | 12 | | proud of the development of his staff to become presidents of | 13 | | other minority banks across the country and to hold executive | 14 | | positions; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Alvin Boutte, Sr. helped to advance the fledging | 16 | | Civil Rights Movement by repeatedly contributing money to Dr. | 17 | | Martin Luther King, Jr. and his Southern Christian Leadership | 18 | | Conference; he was also a key contributor with the group of | 19 | | businessmen who brought Nelson Mandela to Chicago in the summer | 20 | | of 1993 to raise money for his ANC political organization after | 21 | | he was freed; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Alvin Boutte, Sr. served as Chairman of Fulcrum | 23 | | Venture Capital Corporation, an early government-backed |
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| 1 | | venture fund established to provide growth equity to create | 2 | | long standing minority-owned businesses; he also served on the | 3 | | boards of directors of Johnson Products Co., Chicago | 4 | | Metropolitan Mutual Assurance Co., Midway Airlines, Rainbow | 5 | | PUSH, the Chicago Urban League, the Rehabilitation Institute of | 6 | | Chicago, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Junior | 7 | | Achievement, and the Chatham Business Association, among many | 8 | | others; he was appointed to the Chicago Board of Education by | 9 | | Mayor Richard J. Daley, and served 2 terms as one of the first | 10 | | African-American board members; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Alvin Boutte, Sr. received accolades and awards | 12 | | and was proudest of being Co-Chair of the Chicago Urban League | 13 | | Golden Fellowship gala; he was inducted into the Junior | 14 | | Achievement Chicago Businessmen Hall of Fame in 1993; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Alvin Boutte, Sr. is survived by his wife, | 16 | | Barbara; his daughters, Janice Boutte and Jeanette Simpson; his | 17 | | sons, Gregory and Alvin, Jr.; his 4 grandchildren; his 4 | 18 | | great-grandchildren; and his many other relatives, friends, | 19 | | and admirers; therefore, be it | 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 22 | | his family and friends, the passing of Alvin Boutte, Sr.; and | 23 | | be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Alvin Boutte, Sr. as an expression | 3 | | of our sympathy.
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