Full Text of HR1159 97th General Assembly
HR1159 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Dezo | 4 | | McGill, who passed away on May 27, 2012; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill was born on April 23, 1933, in Oktaha, | 6 | | Oklahoma, to James Reed and Uraha Belle Triggs; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill served with distinction as a member of | 8 | | the United States Army and received an honorable discharge on | 9 | | January 31, 1962; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Following his service in the Army, Dezo McGill | 11 | | continued his education at Langston University, where he earned | 12 | | his bachelor's degree in biology, and at Wichita State | 13 | | University, where he earned his master's degree; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill served as a high school teacher for | 15 | | many years; he was well known for encouraging his students to | 16 | | stretch themselves to strive to achieve their educational | 17 | | goals; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill accepted his call to ministry and | 19 | | began his journey as one of God's choice servants; from 1963 to | 20 | | 1967, he served as Assistant to the Pastor at Tabernacle |
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| 1 | | Baptist Church; in 1969, he was called to serve as Pastor of | 2 | | the New Zion Baptist Church in Wichita, Kansas; in August of | 3 | | 1973, he accepted the call to serve as the Pastor of Main | 4 | | Street Baptist Church in Aurora; as Pastor of Main Street | 5 | | Baptist, he was actively involved in his community, serving | 6 | | locally as Chaplain for the Aurora Police Department and as a | 7 | | member of the Ministerial Alliance; he retired after 32 years | 8 | | of faithful service to Main Baptist Church; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill had a heart for missions and was | 10 | | committed to the continual building of God's Kingdom, at home | 11 | | and abroad; in 1981, he took his first journey to Zimbabwe; | 12 | | through the encouragement and inspiration of the Main Baptist | 13 | | membership, he journeyed to Africa 28 times; in 1983, he | 14 | | founded the Africa Crusade Ministry, Inc., and invited other | 15 | | ministers and lay persons to join the Crusade; during one of | 16 | | the Crusade trips, he determined that the ministry needed to | 17 | | expand to offer more tangible assistance; he subsequently | 18 | | formed the African American Outreach Mission to further their | 19 | | missionary efforts; he reached out to churches and communities | 20 | | throughout the country to collect Bibles, clothing, medical | 21 | | equipment, medicines, computer equipment, school supplies, and | 22 | | other items; and
| 23 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill served as Vice President of Ecumenical | 24 | | Affairs of the National Baptist State Convention, Moderator and |
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| 1 | | 2nd Vice Moderator of the Northwood River District Association, | 2 | | 2nd Vice President of the Illinois Missionary Baptist State | 3 | | Convention, President of the Illinois State Congress, Dean of | 4 | | Practical Studies of the National Sunday School and B.T.U. | 5 | | Congress, and leader of the Ministers Lecture Series with the | 6 | | National Congress; he was also ordained as an Honorary Anglican | 7 | | Priest in Harare, Zimbabwe, an honor he cherished deeply; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Dezo McGill is survived by his wife of 39 years, | 9 | | Esther C. McGill; his children, James McGill, Gary Polk, Portia | 10 | | (Richard) Prather, Dezo (Donna) McGill, Jr., Brenda Johnson, | 11 | | Ronnie (Jane) McGill, Cathryn McGill, Charles Dixon, and | 12 | | Andriette McGill; his sisters, Dorothy Johnson, Charlene | 13 | | Carter, Gwendolyn Breedlove, and Yvonne Caldwell; his | 14 | | brothers, Alvin Curtis, Leonard Triggs, and Al Triggs; his | 15 | | grandchildren, Brian Polk, Aspen Polk, Darvell Polk, Raymond | 16 | | (Shontel) Griffin, Titus Prather, Antigone (Matt) Rappord, | 17 | | Darrius Johnson, Lindsey Johnson, Joshua McGill, DJ McGill, | 18 | | Riley McGill, Nashae (Adam) Morin, Caleb Dixon, and Tashia | 19 | | Woodridge; his great-grandchildren, Titus L. Prather, Kali | 20 | | McGowan, William Griffin, and Aaliyah Griffin; and his many | 21 | | other relatives, friends, and the entire congregation of his | 22 | | church; therefore, be it
| 23 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 24 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| 1 | | we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of | 2 | | Dezo McGill; and be it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 4 | | presented to the family of Dezo McGill as an expression of our | 5 | | sympathy.
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