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90_SR0082
LRB9005821KBkb
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to send
3 their condolences to the family of Juanita Thompson Tucker of
4 Chicago, Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker was born in Dubberly, Louisiana,
6 on July 18, 1930; her parents were Henry and Lillie Lee
7 Thompson; Juanita was the second of four daughters born in
8 the family; Juanita accepted Jesus Christ as her Saviour at
9 an early age and joined with the Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in
10 Dubberly; upon her family's move to Chicago in 1943, Juanita
11 joined the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church; and
12 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker and her family lived in the
13 Bronzeville area of the city, where she attended Douglas
14 Elementary School; in 1948 Ms. Tucker graduated from Wendell
15 Phillips High School, a school that would hold future
16 significance in her life; she received her Bachelor of Arts
17 in Music from Northwestern University in 1952; at the time of
18 her college education, segregation was occurring on several
19 campuses, which required Ms. Tucker to commute daily; the
20 struggles of college and the changing atmosphere in the
21 country did not deter Juanita from graduating cum laude; she
22 went on to receive her Masters in Music Education from
23 Roosevelt University; she also worked on graduate studies at
24 the University of Illinois in Chicago, the Illinois Institute
25 of Technology, and Chicago State University; and
26 WHEREAS, While taking a train ride to visit a college
27 friend, Ms. Tucker met her future husband, Kenneth Tucker of
28 Wichita, Kansas; with a courting technique involving his
29 homemade nut cookies, Kenneth married Juanita in 1955;
30 together they had three children; Linda, Lillian, and
31 Kenneth; and
32 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker began her career in the Chicago
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1 Public Schools as a primary teacher, and then went on to
2 become a music teacher; after several years, Ms. Tucker
3 transferred to her alma mater, Wendell Phillips High School;
4 at Wendell Phillips she served as a music teacher and a
5 guidance counselor; as a part of the guidance department, Ms.
6 Tucker saw many students placed into colleges and
7 universities around the country; as a result of her hard work
8 and dedication, Juanita Tucker was inducted into the Wendell
9 Phillips Hall of Fame; and
10 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker served as Assistant Principal and
11 then Principal of Wendell Phillips; as Principal Ms. Tucker
12 worked on school reform, improving academic standards for the
13 students, providing a stronger and more nurturing environment
14 for the students, and seeking out job opportunities for her
15 students; as Principal she, along with help from the Tuskegee
16 Airmen, established the first and only Air Force ROTC program
17 in the Chicago Public Schools; and
18 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker kept Wendell Phillips alive;
19 working with community leaders, she made sure that the school
20 was recognized as a valuable part of the Bronzeville area; in
21 1995 she traveled to Japan as part of an educational exchange
22 program; through her many projects and efforts, Juanita
23 Tucker let people know how proud she was of Wendell Phillips
24 High School; and
25 WHEREAS, In addition to her work in the Chicago public
26 schools Juanita Tucker was a full time church musician; she
27 played for over thirty years at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist
28 Church, and later continued her career as Minister of Music
29 at Martin Temple A.M.E. Zion Church and as director of music
30 at St. Mark's Evangelical Church; in 1979 Juanita and her
31 family joined with Martin Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, where
32 she remained an active member; and
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1 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker is remembered for many things;
2 she was known as "the suit lady" because of her good fashion
3 sense and her impeccable power suits; Juanita and her husband
4 Kenneth made sure that their children were provided with the
5 best in education, and together they worked toward that goal;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, Juanita Tucker is survived by her loving husband
8 Kenneth; her two daughters, Linda E. Tucker and her husband
9 William Preston, and Lillian Tucker Johnson and her husband
10 Marion; her son Kenneth H. Tucker; her two sisters Fannie M.
11 Turner and Olivia M. Teverbaugh; her granddaughters, Jessica
12 Leslie Tucker Preston and Joanna Carrie Tucker Preston; her
13 two nephews, Robert Teverbaugh and Wendell Turner; as well as
14 several other relatives and friends; therefore, be it
15 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
16 OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her
17 family and friends, the death of Juanita Tucker of Chicago,
18 Illinois; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20 presented to the family of Juanita Tucker of Chicago,
21 Illinois, along with our sincere condolences.