Full Text of SR0142 096th General Assembly
SR0142 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 |
| learn of the death of
Cyrus Johnson of Jackson, Tennessee, | 4 |
| formerly of Alton, who passed away on February 27, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Cyrus Johnson was born on February 18, 1929 in | 6 |
| Alton; his parents were Cyrus Leroy and Jennie Cornelia (Keen) | 7 |
| Johnson; and
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| WHEREAS, Cyrus Johnson attended school at Woods School and | 9 |
| Foster Township; he continued his education at Lovejoy School | 10 |
| and Alton Senior High School; he attended college at Shurtleff | 11 |
| College and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, | 12 |
| where he earned his bachelor's degree in urban land economics | 13 |
| in 1956 and his master's degree in social science in 1959; | 14 |
| after graduating, he pursued numerous corporate training | 15 |
| opportunities, including stints at the Massachusetts Institute | 16 |
| of Technology, the University of Pittsburgh, and Harvard | 17 |
| University's Advanced Management Program 69, where he served as | 18 |
| class president; and
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| WHEREAS, Cyrus Johnson served in the United States Army | 20 |
| from 1950 to 1952, he went through basic training at Fort | 21 |
| Leonard Wood, Missouri before serving his tour of duty in | 22 |
| Germany during the Korean Conflict; and
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| WHEREAS, Cyrus Johnson was well known for his incredible | 2 |
| work ethic, a trait honed on his family's farm; while attending | 3 |
| the University of Illinois, he served as head waiter and | 4 |
| assistant manager of food services at the Urbana Lincoln Motor | 5 |
| Inn; after his graduate studies, he and his family went to | 6 |
| Chicago, where Mr. Johnson served for 14 years at the Illinois | 7 |
| Bell Telephone Company as the public office manager; he | 8 |
| received many promotions during his tenure, ending his career | 9 |
| as a district commercial manager; in 1973, he was hired at | 10 |
| General Mills Incorporated to serve as the first | 11 |
| African-American vice president of the company, a position he | 12 |
| occupied for 18 years until his retirement; following his | 13 |
| retirement, he became a full-time gentleman farmer; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Cyrus Johnson served his | 15 |
| community in leadership positions on numerous local and | 16 |
| national nonprofit, professional, corporate, and university | 17 |
| boards; and
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| WHEREAS, Cyrus Johnson was preceded in death by parents and | 19 |
| his sister, Cora Darden; and
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| WHEREAS, Cyrus Johnson is survived by his wife of 54 years, | 21 |
| Charlotte E. (Kenniebrew) Johnson; his daughters, Judie | 22 |
| Johnson and Renee Johnson; his favorite granddaughter, Jennie |
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| M. Johnson McFadden; his sisters and brothers, Virginia Ward | 2 |
| (Paul), Lucille Piggott (Bert), Mary Hyndman, Harold Johnson | 3 |
| (Evelyn), Robert Darden (husband of Cora), William Johnson | 4 |
| (Olivia "Sue"), Lloyd Johnson (Minnie), Alvin Johnson | 5 |
| (Thelma), and Adele Carpenter (Willi); his many nieces and | 6 |
| nephews; his large extended family; and his friend and mentor, | 7 |
| James A. Summer; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 9 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 10 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Cyrus Johnson; and be it | 11 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 |
| presented to the family of Cyrus Johnson as an expression of | 14 |
| our sympathy.
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