Full Text of HR0310 96th General Assembly
HR0310 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of
Arturo | 4 |
| Velasquez, who passed away on April 17, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Arturo Velasquez was born in 1915 in Tototlan, | 6 |
| Jalisco, Mexico; he came to the United States at the age of | 7 |
| eight; he graduated from Haines Elementary School and attended | 8 |
| Crane Technical High School; he received an Honorary Doctorate | 9 |
| of Public Service in 1981 from the National College of | 10 |
| Education and a Doctorate of Public Service from Saint Xavier | 11 |
| College in 1988; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1938, during the "Great Depression", Arturo | 13 |
| Velasquez founded the Velasquez Automatic Music Company at 4539 | 14 |
| South Ashland Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood; for | 15 |
| many years, he sold arcade games and Mexican music for | 16 |
| jukeboxes to Latino restaurants; he was well known in his | 17 |
| neighborhood as a generous supporter of programs and | 18 |
| scholarships to help young people there; and
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| WHEREAS, Arturo Velasquez served his country with pride and | 20 |
| distinction as a member of the United States Army during World | 21 |
| War II; and
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| WHEREAS, Arturo Velasquez was the founder of the Illinois | 2 |
| Federation of Mexican Americans in 1958; he co-founded in 1967 | 3 |
| and served as charter president of the Azteca Lions Club; he | 4 |
| also played key roles in founding the Mexican-American Chamber | 5 |
| of Commerce of Illinois, the Federation of Mexican-Americans, | 6 |
| the Spanish Speaking Study Commission, the Mexican Civic | 7 |
| Society, and the Mexican-American Democrats of Cook County, | 8 |
| among many others; and | 9 |
| WHEREAS, Arturo Velasquez served as a trustee of the City | 10 |
| Colleges of Chicago for 10 years; in 2008, Richard J. Daley | 11 |
| College rededicated and renamed its West Side Technical | 12 |
| Institute the Arturo Velasquez West Side Technical Institute in | 13 |
| honor of Mr. Velasquez and his work; and
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| WHEREAS, Arturo Velasquez gave more than fifty years of | 15 |
| dedicated service to the Cordi-Marian Settlement House; he was | 16 |
| the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his | 17 |
| outstanding contributions, including the American Legion | 18 |
| Manuel Perez Post (#1017) 1964 "Man of the Year" award, the | 19 |
| Counsel General of Mexico's 1967 "Man of the Year" award, the | 20 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Chicago's Chairman of the Board and 1980 | 21 |
| Volunteer of the Year awards, the City Colleges of Chicago | 22 |
| Foundation's 1984 "Man of the Year" award, the Mexican Civic | 23 |
| Society's 1986 "Man of the Year" award, the St. Augustine | 24 |
| College's "Puente" Award, "The Ohtli" Award, Mexico's highest |
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| honor, The Chicago Historical Society's 2002 "Making History" | 2 |
| Award, and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's 2006 | 3 |
| "Pipila" Award; and
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| WHEREAS, Arturo Velasquez is survived by his wife of 72 | 5 |
| years, Shirley; his children, Arthur, Edward, Carmen, and Maria | 6 |
| Elena; his 11 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren; and his | 7 |
| siblings, Marina, Eliseo, Josefina, and Elisia; therefore, be | 8 |
| it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 10 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 11 |
| mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Arturo | 12 |
| Velasquez; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 |
| presented to the family of Arturo Velasquez as an expression of | 15 |
| our sympathy.
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