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91_HR0394
LRB9107208CBcb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of this House were saddened to learn
3 of the death of Jesse Benjamin Balfour of Chicago on Sunday,
4 June 6, 1999; and
5 WHEREAS, He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November
6 29, 1943, the son of the late Sammy and Druecilla Taylor
7 Balfour; he grew up in North Memphis, graduating from
8 Manassas High School in 1961; he left for Langston, Oklahoma,
9 to attend Langston University, where he earned a Bachelor of
10 Arts degree in Education; and
11 WHEREAS, He began his career as an educator in Memphis at
12 Caldwell Elementary School; in Chicago, he taught at O. W.
13 Holmes School, St. Sabina, where he was teacher and assistant
14 principal, and St. Carthage, where he was a teacher and
15 special assistant to Public Relations; during his time at St.
16 Carthage, he was named one of the Most Outstanding Teachers
17 of America during 1974; and
18 WHEREAS, He was an advocate of African American causes
19 and gave generously to the United Negro College Fund; he was
20 a member of Black Men Moving of Operation Breadbasket,
21 Operation PUSH, the Illinois Federation of Black Social
22 Workers, the NAACP, and the President's Club of AFSCME, Local
23 2081; and
24 WHEREAS, For the past 20 years, he had been employed by
25 the State of Illinois, as a counselor at the Dickens and
26 Herrick House Shelters and most recently as a social worker
27 for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services;
28 and
29 WHEREAS, His passing will be deeply felt by his family
30 and friends, especially his wife, Dorretha; his sons, Jerome,
31 Jason, Ronald, and Jesse, Jr.; his brothers, Sammy, Gabriel,
-2- LRB9107208CBcb
1 and Tami; his mother-in-law, Minnie Copeland; his
2 sisters-in-law, Rochelle Webb, Thelma Balfour, Ruby Balfour,
3 and Shondra Balfour; his brother-in-law, David Webb; his
4 daughter-in-law, Beverly; his grandchildren; and his "cous",
5 Terry; therefore, be it
6 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8 we note with sorrow and regret the death of Jesse Benjamin
9 Balfour and extend our sincere condolences to his family and
10 friends; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to his widow, Dorretha Balfour.