Full Text of SR0624 95th General Assembly
SR0624 95TH 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
Robert E. Wooten, Sr. of Chicago, who | 4 |
| passed away on March 27, 2008; and
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| WHEREAS, Robert E. Wooten, Sr. was born on February 17, | 6 |
| 1930; he was the son of Flora and John Henry Wooten; he was a | 7 |
| lifelong resident of Chicago; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1945, while attending Morgan Park High School, | 9 |
| Robert E. Wooten, Sr. organized a gospel choral group, the | 10 |
| Morgan Park Crusaders; after graduation, he was stricken by a | 11 |
| serious illness and was hospitalized for a year; upon | 12 |
| recovering from his illness, he devoted his life and musical | 13 |
| talent to serving his faith; and
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| WHEREAS, Robert E. Wooten, Sr. devoted much of his life to | 15 |
| his great faith; in July of 1949, he founded the Wooten Choral | 16 |
| Ensemble, based at Beth Eden Baptist Church; today, the Wooten | 17 |
| Choral Ensemble boasts more than fifty members and has traveled | 18 |
| extensively to perform and preach the gospel, expressing a | 19 |
| spiritual message through anthems, hymns, black spirituals, | 20 |
| and gospel sounds; the Ensemble has recorded several albums and | 21 |
| appeared on many local radio and television programs; he | 22 |
| retired as the Minister of Music of Beth Eden Baptist Church |
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| after 60 years of service to the congregation; he also served | 2 |
| as Director of Music for the Progressive National Baptist | 3 |
| Convention and as a clinician throughout the nation; and
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| WHEREAS, Robert E. Wooten, Sr. received his bachelor's | 5 |
| degree in music education from the Chicago Musical Conservatory | 6 |
| in 1956 and his master's degree from Roosevelt University in | 7 |
| 1968; and
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| WHEREAS, Robert E. Wooten, Sr. received many awards and | 9 |
| recognitions for his contributions to gospel music; he was | 10 |
| given an honorary doctorate from Virginia Seminary College in | 11 |
| 1983; he was recognized at the Chicago Gospel Festival in 1994 | 12 |
| for his contributions to religious music; in 2004, he was | 13 |
| listed by The History Makers for outstanding contributions in | 14 |
| Music; in 2005, he was honored by NASPAAM (National Association | 15 |
| for the Study and Performance of African-American Music) for | 16 |
| his outstanding achievements in African-American music; and
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| WHEREAS, Robert E. Wooten, Sr. also enjoyed a distinguished | 18 |
| career as an educator; during his tenure at Parker High School | 19 |
| in Chicago, he led the school's choir to city-wide fame and | 20 |
| rose to the rank of assistant principal before becoming a | 21 |
| district administrator; he worked as a district administrator | 22 |
| with the Chicago Board of Education until his retirement in | 23 |
| 1994; and |
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| WHEREAS, Robert E. Wooten, Sr. and his wife, Frances, were | 2 |
| married since 1956; together, they had three children; | 3 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 5 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with | 6 |
| his family and friends, the passing of Robert E. Wooten, Sr.; | 7 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 |
| presented to the family of Robert E. Wooten, Sr. as an | 10 |
| expression of our sympathy.
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