Full Text of HR0005 103rd General Assembly
HR0005 103RD 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 radio | 4 | | and TV personality Floyd A. Brown of Elgin, who passed away on | 5 | | December 9, 2022; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown was born to Faye Lee | 7 | | McFarland-Grayson and Lewis O. Woods in Dallas, Texas on | 8 | | November 5, 1930; he left Texas at an early age, moving to | 9 | | Washington, D.C., where he graduated from high school at the | 10 | | age of 16; he served in the U.S. Army; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown's military service led him to become | 12 | | an engineer at radio station WRMN in Elgin in 1951, and his | 13 | | career included working as program manager and personality for | 14 | | WYNR; he was the first African American to sign with NBC and | 15 | | WMAQ, where he was an announcer and on-air personality; he | 16 | | worked at WGN from 1971 to 1999, during which he worked as a | 17 | | sportscaster and sports anchor on the evening news; with his | 18 | | iconic voice, he hosted The Floyd Brown Show on WGN for more | 19 | | than 29 years, where he featured entertainment, music, | 20 | | interviews, and news/business topics, and his guests included | 21 | | such legendary jazz artists as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, | 22 | | and Ella Fitzgerald; in addition to his time at WGN, he joined | 23 | | the Chicago Sunday Evening Club in 1985 and hosted WTTW's 30 |
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| 1 | | Good Minutes until he retired in 1996; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown contributed his time and talents to | 3 | | the arts and civic life in his local community of Elgin; he was | 4 | | a founding member of the Elgin Human Relations Commission and | 5 | | served as president of the Elgin Housing Commission and | 6 | | marketing director for the Kane County Fair; he was master of | 7 | | ceremonies for WGN's Know Your Heritage, the Bud Billiken | 8 | | Parade, the Gospel Stellar Awards, and Central City | 9 | | Productions; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown received many awards, including the | 11 | | D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award from Judson University, | 12 | | the Friend of Education Award from Elgin Community College, | 13 | | and the Trailblazer Award from the Quad City Urban League; he | 14 | | was inducted into WGN Radio's Walk of Fame on March 22, 2016; | 15 | | he was also recognized for his achievements as a civil rights | 16 | | activist and his commitment to supporting the arts; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown, an avid golfer and sports | 18 | | enthusiast, was the first African American to become a member | 19 | | of a private country club in the State of Illinois; he served | 20 | | on the board of the United States Golf Association and the | 21 | | Chicago District Golf Association; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown will be remembered as a legendary |
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| 1 | | trailblazer whose major role and notoriety as a Black man in | 2 | | media paved the way for other people of color to achieve | 3 | | success in broadcasting, while simultaneously bringing joy and | 4 | | entertainment to homes across the country; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown was preceded in death by his parents; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown is survived by his wife of 67 years, | 8 | | Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Brown; his son, Judge Floyd Keith | 9 | | Brown; his daughter, Diane Brown; his grandchildren, Marcus | 10 | | (Amanda) Brown, Nicole Brown, Jordan Douglas, and Taylor | 11 | | Douglas; and his great-grandchildren, Mikayla, Caleb, and | 12 | | Cassidy Brown; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 14 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 | | we mourn the passing of Floyd A. Brown and extend our sincere | 16 | | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 17 | | him; and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the family of Floyd Brown as an expression of our | 20 | | deepest sympathy.
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