Full Text of HR0842 102nd General Assembly
HR0842 102ND 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 Billie | 4 | | Jean Paige of Chicago, who passed away on April 10, 2022; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige was born to Enos and Ora Bond in | 6 | | Chicago on June 26, 1937; she received her formal education at | 7 | | an all-girls boarding school in Wisconsin, where she was an | 8 | | exceptional student, a stand-out basketball player, and a | 9 | | participant in musicals and stage plays; after high school, | 10 | | she attended Loyola University, the University of Chicago, and | 11 | | Roosevelt University; she graduated college at age 19, having | 12 | | developed an interest in politics and government; in addition | 13 | | to excelling as a student, she was professionally trained as a | 14 | | vocalist and pianist; she married George Howard Paige on | 15 | | February 16, 1957; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige first worked as a secretary at the | 17 | | University of Chicago's graduate school; she then worked for | 18 | | Head Start and joined the Kuumba Workshop in the 1970s; in | 19 | | 1973, she was recruited into Illinois state government and | 20 | | worked as a Coordinator of Paraprofessional Training; in 1975, | 21 | | she became the Commissioner of the Illinois Department of | 22 | | Labor's Bureau of Employment Security's Division of | 23 | | Unemployment Insurance; she was the first African American |
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| 1 | | woman to head an unemployment program in the United States; in | 2 | | late 1975, she became the Assistant Director of the Illinois | 3 | | Department of Registration and Education and was the | 4 | | second-ranking statutory official for the department; in 1980, | 5 | | she earned the position of Director of Government Affairs for | 6 | | the Illinois Hospital Association; in 1983, she became a | 7 | | legislative consultant with Shea, Rogal and Associates and | 8 | | made history as the first full-time African American female | 9 | | lobbyist in Illinois; in 1992, she was named President of | 10 | | Shea, Paige, and Rogal, Incorporated and became a partner in | 11 | | the firm; in 1984, she served as President and Chief Executive | 12 | | Officer of Continental Testing Services, Incorporated; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige became a member of Saint Ailbe | 14 | | Catholic Church (Saint Katharine Drexel Parish) in Chicago in | 15 | | the 1960s; she served as the vocalist and pianist at the | 16 | | parish's Saturday evening mass; she was ultimately named the | 17 | | Assistant to the Director of Music and sang in the choir at all | 18 | | three of the weekend masses in addition to the holiday masses; | 19 | | and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige was a founding member of the | 21 | | Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership (IWIL) Training | 22 | | Academy; and
| 23 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige was a lifelong lover of owls and |
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| 1 | | collected many pieces of jewelry, paintings, and figurines | 2 | | bearing owl images; she enjoyed music and collected music | 3 | | boxes and visual art pieces depicting musical notes; she was | 4 | | also an ardent fan of the Star Wars movies and was known for | 5 | | her delicious greens and chili recipe and for her annual pool | 6 | | party; included in her collectibles were items that featured | 7 | | images of West Highland White Terriers, of which she had six | 8 | | during her lifetime; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige was preceded in death by her son, | 10 | | Stephen; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Billie Paige is survived by her loving husband, | 12 | | George; her son, Gary (Apryl); her daughter-in-law, Jacinta; | 13 | | her granddaughter, Daria; and a host of beloved relatives and | 14 | | cherished friends; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 16 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we mourn the passing of
Billie Jean Paige and extend our | 18 | | sincere
condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew | 19 | | and loved
her; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 21 | | presented to the family of Billie Paige as an expression of
our | 22 | | deepest sympathy.
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