Full Text of SR0775 100th General Assembly
SR0775 100TH 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 Dr. Reginald Sykes, who passed away on | 4 | | July 25, 2017; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes was born in Chicago to Mattie Bell | 6 | | (Thomas) Williams and Larry James Sykes on September 5, 1939; | 7 | | he graduated from Richard T. Crane Medical Preparatory High | 8 | | School, where he played baseball and developed a love of | 9 | | science; he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from | 10 | | LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he met and | 11 | | married Robbie Jean Mangum; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes joined the Chicago Police Department in | 13 | | the early 1960s and became an officer in the newly established | 14 | | Gang Tactical Unit; having witnessed the impact of economic and | 15 | | educational inequality within his community, he became | 16 | | determined to work to make things better and decided to further | 17 | | his education by obtaining a Master of Business Administration | 18 | | from the
University of Chicago and a medical doctorate from | 19 | | Northwestern University; he was awarded major fellowships in | 20 | | psychiatry from the American Psychiatric
Association and the | 21 | | National Institute of Mental Health; he worked at Rush | 22 | | Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital and
completed his psychiatric | 23 | | residency at The University of Chicago Medical Center; he |
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| 1 | | served as executive
director for the Mid-America Chapter of the | 2 | | American Red Cross; he worked for Abbott Laboratories, | 3 | | reviewing medical and scientific
studies to modify and approve | 4 | | clinical drug trials in both the United States and Canada; | 5 | | while serving as chairman of
the Dialysis Strategy Committee at | 6 | | Abbott, he helped organize, identify, and develop new products,
| 7 | | supervising clinical trial drug testing for dialysis patients; | 8 | | he then started
his own firm, Quality Research Services, Inc., | 9 | | that identified and recruited diverse African American | 10 | | participants for
important life-saving clinical trials; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes was a member of Ebenezer Missionary | 12 | | Baptist Church; he also visited Apostolic Church of God in
| 13 | | Christ; he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and | 14 | | an avid fisherman; at least four times a year, he and
his good | 15 | | friend, Walter Dale "Uncle Butch", went to Onalaska Wisconsin, | 16 | | where legend has it that a giant 15-pound
Northern Pike once | 17 | | found its way on to the end of his hook; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes was preceded in death by his wife, | 19 | | Robbie, and his parents; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes is survived by his children, Regina | 21 | | Sykes (Stephen Hawkins), Rhonda Sykes-Willis (Gregory), | 22 | | Reginald Sykes II (Renee), and
Michael Shelton; his | 23 | | grandchildren, Robbie, Raven, Imani, Robynn, and Reginald III; |
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| 1 | | his brother, Larry Sykes; his very dear and close friends that | 2 | | were like brothers, Joe Davenport,
Walter Dale, Vance Kimber, | 3 | | Dr. Jim Miller, and former mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, Willie | 4 | | Harrington; his good friend, Shirley Cockerham; his caretaker, | 5 | | Chasity Daniels; and numerous friends from coast to coast; | 6 | | therefore, be it
| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 9 | | Dr. Reginald Sykes, and extend our sincere condolences to his | 10 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 11 | | further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 | | presented to the family of Dr. Sykes as an expression of our | 14 | | deepest sympathy.
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