Full Text of SR0538 95th General Assembly
SR0538 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of Dr. Gwindelle Wilson Ponder of Chicago, | 4 |
| who passed away on January 30, 2008; and
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| WHEREAS, Dr. Gwindelle Wilson Ponder proudly celebrated | 6 |
| her 80th birthday at the
Congregational Church of Park Manor in | 7 |
| June 2007 with more than 200 fellow church members, former | 8 |
| colleagues, sorors, friends, neighbors, and
family; she was the | 9 |
| daughter of the late Reverend Dennis N. and Mrs. (Flossie | 10 |
| Farmer) Wilson; and
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| WHEREAS, She grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, where | 12 |
| she graduated from Avery Institute in 1944; she received a B.A. | 13 |
| in mathematics from Fisk University in 1948, an M.A. in | 14 |
| mathematics from Columbia University in New York in 1951, and a | 15 |
| Ph.D. in mathematics/education from Heed University in Broward | 16 |
| County, Florida in 1978; and
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| WHEREAS, Dr. Ponder taught mathematics in the Chicago | 18 |
| Public School system for 16 years, 11 of which were at Wendell | 19 |
| Phillips High School; she was subsequently a mathematics | 20 |
| professor at Kennedy-King College for 19 years; she achieved | 21 |
| the rank of professor in 1985 and had bestowed upon her the | 22 |
| Distinguished Professorship Award in 1988-89; and
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| WHEREAS, Some of her noteworthy accomplishments at | 2 |
| Kennedy-King include serving on the Faculty Council Committee, | 3 |
| Rank Committee, Registration and Recruitment Committee, | 4 |
| Faculty Evaluation Committee, Mentor Advisor for Retention | 5 |
| Committee, and Convocation Committee; she coordinated the | 6 |
| mathematics laboratory, tutored students, and co-chaired the | 7 |
| Welch Memorial Mathematics Competition; she frequently | 8 |
| arranged for speakers in her classes to share their | 9 |
| professional experiences and to supplement the students' | 10 |
| intellectual and motivational enrichment;
and
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| WHEREAS, Dr. Ponder served on the Stewardship Council, the | 12 |
| June Circle, and the Music Committee of The Congregational | 13 |
| Church of Park Manor, and she was a judge for the Chicago | 14 |
| Public Schools Academic Olympics; she chaired the Ninth Annual | 15 |
| Tea of the Women's Auxiliary Board of Provident Hospital, and | 16 |
| she raised the largest-ever amount of funds for the hospital at | 17 |
| a single event; she was the Vice President of the West | 18 |
| Chesterfield Garden Club, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha | 19 |
| Sorority, Theta Omega Chapter, a member of the Vernon Park | 20 |
| Community Council, a member of the Women's Board of DuSable | 21 |
| Museum of African-American History, the Vice President of the | 22 |
| Chicago Area Fisk University Alumni Association, and a member | 23 |
| of the American Rose Art and Charity Club; and
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| WHEREAS, Dr. Ponder served as a community representative | 2 |
| for the first Local School Council at Harlan Community Academy; | 3 |
| she was an outstanding cook and hostess, an accomplished | 4 |
| seamstress, a competitive bridge player, an avid world | 5 |
| traveler, an African-American fine art collector, and one of | 6 |
| the best dressed-women in Chicago; and
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| WHEREAS, Dr. Gwindelle Wilson Ponder is survived by her two | 8 |
| sons, Dr. Alvin F. Ponder III and Mr. Darryl D. Ponder; her | 9 |
| daughter, Anita J. Ponder, Esq.; her grandson, Mr. Brian | 10 |
| Ponder; her three sisters-in-law, Dr. Mildred Ponder Stennis, | 11 |
| Ms. Ann Wilson, and Ms. Gladys Wilson; her nieces and nephews, | 12 |
| the Honorable Denise Wilson-Taylor, Dr. Dennis Norman Wilson | 13 |
| (Marva), Mr. Decatur Ward Wilson II (Cheryl), Mr. Dexter Norman | 14 |
| Wilson (Renee), and Dr. Lynette Wilson-Phillips (Jonathan); | 15 |
| her grandnieces and grandnephews; her mother's adopted | 16 |
| granddaughter, Ms. Jamesetta Boyd Nichols (Raymond); and | 17 |
| numerous other relatives and friends; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 19 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 20 |
| her family and friends, the passing of Dr. Gwindelle Wilson | 21 |
| Ponder; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 23 |
| presented to the family of Dr. Gwindelle Wilson Ponder as an |
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| expression of our sincere sympathy.
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