Full Text of SR1263 102nd General Assembly
SR1263 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Marion Louise "Penny" Sullivan Smith, | 4 | | who passed away on September 15, 2021; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was born to the union of Roosevelt | 6 | | Pluitt and Ethel Sullivan in Chicago on September 15, 1933; | 7 | | she was raised in what is now known as the Bronzeville area of | 8 | | Chicago; she graduated from DuSable High School; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was pursued by several modeling | 10 | | agencies and considered law school after high school; however, | 11 | | her love for family led her to begin a family of her own; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was a hard worker with many talents; | 13 | | she could sew and construct anything; her home was always | 14 | | known as a showplace to all who visited; she will be remembered | 15 | | for being a strong family person who loved everyone and | 16 | | everyone loved; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was the oldest living heir to one of | 18 | | America's heroic narratives; her grandmother, Carrie Williams, | 19 | | was the first in U.S. history to file a lawsuit for the rights | 20 | | of colored school teachers for equal pay in 1898; her case was | 21 | | ultimately heard before the West Virginia Supreme Court, which |
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| 1 | | ruled in her favor during the Jim Crow Era, bolstering equal | 2 | | education rights for African American students statewide; her | 3 | | legacy was noted by President Barack Obama in a letter to the | 4 | | family, where he thanked the Smith family for Carrie Williams' | 5 | | contributions, which paved the way for others; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was preceded in death by her | 7 | | siblings, Roosevelt Pluitt Jr., Ethel, Dorothy, Charles, | 8 | | Constance, and Othello; she was also preceded in death by | 9 | | three children, Lolita Smith-Oliver, Michael Smith, and Freddy | 10 | | Smith; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith is survived by her children, Fred | 12 | | (Leonette) Smith, Sharon A. (Lee) Taylor, Hakeem A. (Avonda) | 13 | | Muhammad, and Andre (LaZondra) Smith; her grandchildren; her | 14 | | great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, | 15 | | and friends; therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 17 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 18 | | Marion Louise "Penny" Sullivan Smith and extend our sincere | 19 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved | 20 | | her; and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 22 | | presented to the family of Marion Smith as an expression of our |
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| 1 | | deepest sympathy.
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