Full Text of SR0818 103rd General Assembly
SR0818 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0818 | | LRB103 39774 LAW 70294 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | 3 | | congratulate Victory Bell of Rockford on the occasion of his | 4 | | 90th birthday; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Victory Bell, the son of Bea Bell and Gladys | 6 | | Thompson, was born in Durant, Mississippi on March 7, 1934; he | 7 | | and his family moved to Rockford, Illinois in 1945, where he | 8 | | attended Montague Elementary School and graduated from West | 9 | | High School in 1953; he married his wife, Carol, on November | 10 | | 21, 1981, and they had six children, Jeffery, Gregory, Victor, | 11 | | Michelle, Roger, and Bradley; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Soon after graduating high school, Victory Bell | 13 | | began working at the Illinois Bell Telephone Company, starting | 14 | | as a janitor before being promoted to supply clerk in 1964 and | 15 | | material supply in 1966; he then became an installer with the | 16 | | Installation Department, and he was soon promoted to plant | 17 | | dispatcher in 1969 and then manager of installations in 1970; | 18 | | he concluded his career after 33 years of service, retiring in | 19 | | 1987; he later served as a manager at the Illinois Secretary of | 20 | | State Facility in Rockford; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Victory Bell began his long political career as a | 22 | | precinct committeeman in 1962, and he was active on the |
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| 1 | | Winnebago County Political Action Committee; he was elected to | 2 | | serve as alderman of the 5th Ward on the Rockford City Council | 3 | | in 1971, becoming the first African American to be elected | 4 | | alderman in Rockford; he served in that position for 38 years, | 5 | | and he was noted as one of the longest-serving alderpersons in | 6 | | the State; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, During his tenure on the Rockford City Council, | 8 | | Victory Bell provided a strong voice for minority rights while | 9 | | preserving his calm and dignified demeanor, and he was | 10 | | credited with elevating minority ranks in Rockford's police, | 11 | | fire, and public works departments and within State boards and | 12 | | commissions; he was instrumental in promoting county board | 13 | | members, and he assisted Mayor Bob McGaw with his succeessful | 14 | | election in 1970; he was also integral in the completion of | 15 | | Central Avenue from Ogilby Road to Preston Street, linking | 16 | | southwest to northwest Rockford, in the 1980s; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Victory Bell was featured as one of the Rockford | 18 | | Register Star's 100 People of the Century in 1999; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Victory Bell is a member of the NAACP; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Victory Bell will celebrate his 90th birthday on | 21 | | March 7, 2024; therefore, be it |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate | 3 | | Victory Bell on celebrating his 90th birthday, thank him for | 4 | | his service and dedication to the citizens of Rockford and the | 5 | | State, and wish him many more happy and healthy years; and be | 6 | | it further | 7 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to Victory Bell as an expression of our esteem and | 9 | | respect. |
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