Full Text of SR0928 94th General Assembly
SR0928 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate were saddened | 3 |
| to learn of the passing of Joyce Lauretta (Gill) Robinson on | 4 |
| January 1, 2007; and
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| WHEREAS, Born on October 18, 1939, in Alton, Joyce Gill was | 6 |
| the daughter of Harl A. Gill and Mary Lee (Watts) Gill Johnson; | 7 |
| she was the stepdaughter of Edmond B. Johnson and was formerly | 8 |
| married to the late Ralph Preston Robinson; and
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| WHEREAS, Influenced by her teacher Lula Mae Simms, Mrs. | 10 |
| Robinson was educated as a teacher after graduating from the | 11 |
| Alton School District and received her bachelor's and master's | 12 |
| degrees in education from Southern Illinois University in | 13 |
| Edwardsville; and
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| WHEREAS, As a student teacher in 1960, she was one of the | 15 |
| first African Americans to teach at the integrated Alton High | 16 |
| School and taught at the former St. Joseph's School of Nursing; | 17 |
| in 1999, she retired from the state of Illinois after more than | 18 |
| 35 years as a social worker at the Alton Mental Health Center; | 19 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, From 1980 to 1995, she was a member of the Alton | 21 |
| School Board as its first and only African-American woman | 22 |
| member; for four years she served as the school board's | 23 |
| president where she oversaw | 22 |
| passage of the first bond issue in | 24 |
| Alton in almost 20 years; and | 25 |
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Robinson chaired the Eva McDonald Women's | 26 |
| History Coalition, was a founder, life member, and membership | 27 |
| chair of the National Council of Negro Women, Alton Section, | 28 |
| and served as secretary and was a life member of the Elijah P. | 29 |
| Lovejoy Memorial; she was a third-generation member of the | 30 |
| Federated Unity Club of Alton and was a member of the Riverbend |
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LRB094 22246 RAH 60933 r |
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| Belles Red Hats; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, A former member of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, she | 3 |
| was active in Christian education and taught Sunday school for | 4 |
| 40 years; she subsequently joined Unity Fellowship Church and | 5 |
| was active in the Mary L. Johnson Missionaries; and | 6 |
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Robinson received many awards for her | 7 |
| community service, including the YWCA of Alton Women of | 8 |
| Distinction Award and the Elijah P. Lovejoy Human Rights Award; | 9 |
| she was an early recipient of the Lovejoy Memorial Scholarship; | 10 |
| and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, Mrs. Robinson was known for her independence, | 12 |
| sense of humor and devotion to human rights; and | 13 |
| WHEREAS, Lauretta Johnson is survived by her three sons, | 14 |
| John Eric Robinson, Ralph Preston Robinson and his wife, | 15 |
| Stephanie, and Reginald Robinson and his wife, Lissette; her | 16 |
| grandchildren, Preston Pierre, Kyle, Kerry, Kory, Keenan, | 17 |
| Eliana, and Preston Jay; her niece and nephew who were like her | 18 |
| children, Sylvia Flowers and Dwight Flowers; her sister, Joan | 19 |
| Flowers, and her husband, Dwight; and her aunts, uncles, | 20 |
| cousins, nieces, nephews and friends; she was preceded in death | 21 |
| by her parents, stepfather and a brother, John Gill; therefore, | 22 |
| be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 24 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 25 |
| her family and friends, the death of Joyce Lauretta Robinson; | 26 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 28 |
| presented to the family of Joyce Lauretta Robinson as a sign of | 29 |
| our condolences.
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