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1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to |
3 | | learn of the death of former WBC Heavyweight Boxing Champion |
4 | | Kenneth Howard Norton, Sr., who passed away on September 18, |
5 | | 2013; and
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6 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. was born on August 9, 1943 to |
7 | | John and Ruth Norton and was raised in Jacksonville; he |
8 | | graduated from Jacksonville High School, where he was an |
9 | | outstanding athlete and earned several scholarships at |
10 | | Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University) in |
11 | | football, basketball, and track; he studied elementary |
12 | | education while at college; and
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13 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. joined the United States |
14 | | Marine Corps during his sophomore year in college; while a |
15 | | Marine, he started boxing and compiled an amateur record of 24 |
16 | | and 2 and won the All-Marine Heavyweight Championship 3 times; |
17 | | he won the United States trials for the 1967 Pan American Games |
18 | | and began his pro career after his discharge from the Marines |
19 | | in 1967; and
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20 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. was nicknamed the "Black |
21 | | Hercules" until defeating Muhammad Ali and cracking his jaw in |
22 | | their 1973 bout, from which point he was known as "Jawbreaker"; |
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1 | | he finished with a professional record of 42-7-1, with 33 |
2 | | knockouts; he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall |
3 | | of Fame in 1992 and is ranked 22nd among the 50th greatest |
4 | | heavyweights of all time; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr., following his boxing career, |
6 | | appeared in various films and television series; he also worked |
7 | | as a television and radio sports commentator and was a member |
8 | | of the Sports Illustrated Speakers Bureau; he felt his greatest |
9 | | achievement was twice being named Father of the Year in 1977 by |
10 | | the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angles Times; and
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11 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. was preceded in death by his |
12 | | parents; and |
13 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. is survived by his wife, Rose |
14 | | Contant-Norton; his children, Keith, Kenneth Jr. (Angela), |
15 | | Brandon, Kenisha, and Kene Jon; his grandchildren, Brittney, |
16 | | Sabrina, Kenneth III, Michael, Kameron, Nicholas, Kayliana, |
17 | | Havana, and Kene Jon II; his step-children, Fabian and Chelsea; |
18 | | his sister, Sandy Verlinden; his former wives, Jeanette |
19 | | Henderson and Jacqueline Norton; his uncle, Abe Brown; and a |
20 | | host of loving family and friends; therefore, be it
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21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL |
22 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |