Full Text of SR0730 98th General Assembly
SR0730 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of former WBC Heavyweight Boxing Champion | 4 | | Kenneth Howard Norton, Sr., who passed away on September 18, | 5 | | 2013; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. was born on August 9, 1943 to | 7 | | John and Ruth Norton and was raised in Jacksonville; he | 8 | | graduated from Jacksonville High School, where he was an | 9 | | outstanding athlete and earned several scholarships at | 10 | | Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University) in | 11 | | football, basketball, and track; he studied elementary | 12 | | education while at college; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. joined the United States | 14 | | Marine Corps during his sophomore year in college; while a | 15 | | Marine, he started boxing and compiled an amateur record of 24 | 16 | | and 2 and won the All-Marine Heavyweight Championship 3 times; | 17 | | he won the United States trials for the 1967 Pan American Games | 18 | | and began his pro career after his discharge from the Marines | 19 | | in 1967; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. was nicknamed the "Black | 21 | | Hercules" until defeating Muhammad Ali and cracking his jaw in | 22 | | their 1973 bout, from which point he was known as "Jawbreaker"; |
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| 1 | | he finished with a professional record of 42-7-1, with 33 | 2 | | knockouts; he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall | 3 | | of Fame in 1992 and is ranked 22nd among the 50th greatest | 4 | | heavyweights of all time; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr., following his boxing career, | 6 | | appeared in various films and television series; he also worked | 7 | | as a television and radio sports commentator and was a member | 8 | | of the Sports Illustrated Speakers Bureau; he felt his greatest | 9 | | achievement was twice being named Father of the Year in 1977 by | 10 | | the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angles Times; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. was preceded in death by his | 12 | | parents; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Norton, Sr. is survived by his wife, Rose | 14 | | Contant-Norton; his children, Keith, Kenneth Jr. (Angela), | 15 | | Brandon, Kenisha, and Kene Jon; his grandchildren, Brittney, | 16 | | Sabrina, Kenneth III, Michael, Kameron, Nicholas, Kayliana, | 17 | | Havana, and Kene Jon II; his step-children, Fabian and Chelsea; | 18 | | his sister, Sandy Verlinden; his former wives, Jeanette | 19 | | Henderson and Jacqueline Norton; his uncle, Abe Brown; and a | 20 | | host of loving family and friends; therefore, be it
| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 22 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
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| 1 | | Kenneth Howard Norton, Sr., and extend our sincere condolences | 2 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 3 | | it further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 5 | | presented to the family of Kenneth Norton, Sr. as an expression | 6 | | of our deepest sympathy.
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