Full Text of SR1068 100th General Assembly
SR1068 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 Robert Guillaume of Los Angeles, | 4 | | California, who passed away on October 24, 2017; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume was born Robert Peter Williams in | 6 | | St. Louis to Zoe Bertha Edwards on November 30, 1927; he was | 7 | | raised by his grandmother, Jeanette Williams; he attended a | 8 | | Roman Catholic high school, where he sang in the choir; he | 9 | | joined the United States Army in 1945 and was honorably | 10 | | discharged in 1947; he then enrolled at St. Louis University to | 11 | | study business on the G.I. Bill; he later studied singing and | 12 | | theater at Washington University in St. Louis; he married | 13 | | Marlene Scott in 1955 and they later divorced; he married Donna | 14 | | Brown in 1985; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume moved to Cleveland to play Billy | 16 | | Bigelow in the musical "Carousel" at Karamu House, a | 17 | | historically black theater, in the 1950s; it was there that he | 18 | | adopted the surname Guillaume, which was inspired by his | 19 | | grandfather's tales of his family's French heritage; he left | 20 | | Cleveland to tour with the musical "Free and Easy"; soon | 21 | | afterward, he moved to New York, and his stage career | 22 | | flourished; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume acted in several plays, | 2 | | including a revival of "Porgy and Bess," a Broadway revival of | 3 | | "Purlie," and the musical revue "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well | 4 | | and Living in Paris"; he also starred in the Los Angeles | 5 | | production of "The Phantom of the Opera" and an all-black | 6 | | Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls"; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume landed the part of Benson in | 8 | | "Soap" in 1977; his portrayal of a black domestic worker with a | 9 | | sharp tongue and dignified mien earned him an Emmy Award for | 10 | | best supporting actor in a comedy series in 1979; after his | 11 | | Emmy win, Guillaume's character, Benson, got his own series, | 12 | | and he won an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy | 13 | | series; that same year, he also portrayed the Reverend Dr. | 14 | | Martin Luther King Jr. in "Prince Jack" and the abolitionist | 15 | | Frederick Douglass in the television miniseries "North and | 16 | | South"; two short-lived television shows followed, "The Robert | 17 | | Guillaume Show" and "Pacific Station"; he later went on to a | 18 | | role in Aaron Sorkin's "Sports Night"; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume, along with his wife Donna, | 20 | | founded the Confetti Entertainment Company, which created | 21 | | read-along books for children with his voice as the narrator; | 22 | | this marked the beginning of a voice career, and he was cast as | 23 | | Rafiki in "The Lion King"; he went on to play Rafiki in the | 24 | | sequels and won a Grammy Award for his narration of a |
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| 1 | | read-along book in "The Lion King" series; the Confetti | 2 | | Entertainment books were transformed into the HBO series | 3 | | "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child," with | 4 | | Guillaume retelling classical fairy tales with a multicultural | 5 | | focus; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, After suffering a stroke in 1999, Robert Guillaume | 7 | | became an advocate for health awareness, encouraging people to | 8 | | know the symptoms of a stroke and to get their blood pressure | 9 | | and cholesterol tested regularly; he traveled as a spokesman | 10 | | for the American Stroke Association and made appearances for | 11 | | the American Heart Association; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume's television career was diverse | 13 | | and spanned many decades; his penchant for playing | 14 | | distinguished characters resolutely defied racial stereotypes; | 15 | | and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume was preceded in death by his son, | 17 | | Jacques; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Robert Guillaume is survived by his wife, Donna; | 19 | | his daughters, Patricia Carpenter and Melissa and Rachel | 20 | | Guillaume; his son, Kevin; his four grandchildren; his five | 21 | | great-grandchildren; and his one great-great-granddaughter; | 22 | | therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 3 | | Robert Guillaume and extend our sincere condolences to his | 4 | | friends, family, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 5 | | further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to the family of Robert Guillaume as an expression of | 8 | | our deepest sympathy.
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