Full Text of HR0866 100th General Assembly
HR0866 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of William | 4 | | Cousins Jr., who passed away on January 20, 2018; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins was born in Swiftown, Mississippi, | 6 | | the son of a longshoreman father; he moved with his family to | 7 | | Memphis, Tennessee in 1931, and then to Chicago in 1938; he | 8 | | attended Forrestville Elementary School and was president of | 9 | | the 1945 graduating class at DuSable High School; he received a | 10 | | bachelor's degree in political science from the University of | 11 | | Illinois in 1948; after college, he knew he wanted to impact | 12 | | the public policy debate by becoming a lawyer; he was accepted | 13 | | at Yale, Columbia, Michigan, and Harvard Law Schools; he chose | 14 | | Harvard and graduated in 1951; his journey of public service | 15 | | also extended to military service; he was a platoon leader, | 16 | | Second Lieutenant Infantry, in the United States Army during | 17 | | the Korean War; he was later promoted to First Lieutenant; | 18 | | while in Japan, he met Hiroko Ogawa; they married in Japan in | 19 | | 1953; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins began working as an examining | 21 | | attorney for Chicago Title & Trust Co.; he then served as an | 22 | | assistant state's attorney; in 1961, he and three other | 23 | | African-American attorneys and Harvard Law School graduates |
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| 1 | | formed a law firm; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins led the Chatham-Avalon Park | 3 | | Community Council, where he worked to oppose high-rise housing | 4 | | in the neighborhood; he was elected alderman in 1967 and made | 5 | | the community viable by meeting with constituents, attending | 6 | | book club meetings, and effectively communicating with | 7 | | residents; he resigned from the City Council after he was | 8 | | elected to the Cook County Circuit Court in 1976; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins later served on panels that | 10 | | investigated two separate, deadly fire tragedies in Chicago and | 11 | | helped make important fire safety recommendations that were | 12 | | implemented; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins believed that the only way to make | 14 | | life better was to help those with greater needs, that nothing | 15 | | worthwhile was easy, and that the ability to overcome | 16 | | unfavorable situations provides the true strength and | 17 | | determination needed for success; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins was preceded in death by his wife, | 19 | | Hiroko; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Bill Cousins is survived by his daughters, Cheryl | 21 | | Akiko Cousins and Gail Yoshiko Cousins; his sons, Yul Cousins |
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| 1 | | and Noel Cousins; and his four grandchildren; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 4 | | mourn the passing of William Cousins Jr. and extend our sincere | 5 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 6 | | him; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to the family of Bill Cousins as an expression of our | 9 | | deepest sympathy.
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