Full Text of HR0112 103rd General Assembly
HR0112 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 Eugene | 4 | | Morice Barnes, who passed away on November 13, 2022; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Eugene Barnes, the eighth of 11 children born to | 6 | | John and Nettie L. Barnes, was born in Chicago on July 24, | 7 | | 1931; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Eugene Barnes was a product of Chicago Public | 9 | | Schools and graduated from Wendell Phillips High School; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Following high school, Eugene Barnes joined the | 11 | | U.S. Air Force as a private, serving in France and Germany | 12 | | during the Korean Conflict; during his service, he achieved | 13 | | the rank of sergeant and earned a Certificate of Accounting | 14 | | from the U.S. Air Force Specialist School; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, After returning home with an honorable discharge, | 16 | | Eugene Barnes started his professional career working for the | 17 | | Social Security Administration; this was followed by a stint | 18 | | with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and then a 14-year | 19 | | tenure with the Chicago Transit Authority; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Eugene Barnes was elected to the Illinois House |
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| 1 | | of Representatives and served the 29th District from 1970 to | 2 | | 1979; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Joining a group of lawmakers who helped found the | 4 | | Illinois Legislative Black Caucus a few years prior to his | 5 | | arrival in Springfield, Eugene Barnes championed legislation | 6 | | that helped to create the Illinois State Lottery, made | 7 | | Illinois the first state to provide funding for Sickle Cell | 8 | | Anemia, and secured appropriations to finance the first | 9 | | buildings on the Chicago State University campus; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In 1979, Eugene Barnes resigned his seat in the | 11 | | Illinois House when he was named the first Black chairman of | 12 | | the Chicago Transit Authority; he was later elected chairman | 13 | | of the American Public Transportation Association; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, During his four terms as a state legislator, | 15 | | Eugene Barnes' work on behalf of Illinois families earned him | 16 | | much recognition, including the Outstanding Legislator Award | 17 | | from the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and | 18 | | Universities; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, While in office and following his retirement from | 20 | | the Illinois General Assembly, Eugene Barnes remained active | 21 | | in the community as a proud member a number of organizations, | 22 | | including the Maple Park Homeowners Association, the NAACP, |
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| 1 | | and the A. Phillip Randolph Association and as a life member of | 2 | | ATU Local 241 and Operation Breadbasket, now Operation PUSH; | 3 | | and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Eugene Barnes was preceded in death by his wife | 5 | | of 42 years, Lei-Lani Roach and his grandchild, Eric Antwon; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Eugene M. Barnes is survived by his three | 8 | | children, Vikki L. Barnes-McKenzie, EuGina M. Barnes, and | 9 | | Craig D. Barnes, and his six grandchildren, Michael Dewayne | 10 | | Jr., Tiffany Danielle, Craig Dareen II, Timothy Jacob, Elijah | 11 | | Malachi, and LeiLani MyL; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 13 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we mourn the passing of
Eugene Morice Barnes and extend our | 15 | | sincere
condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | 16 | | and loved
him; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of Eugene Barnes as an expression of | 19 | | our deepest sympathy.
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