HR1161 LRB093 23120 KEF 53159 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni
3 of Wendell Phillips High School, the oldest African-American
4 high school in Chicago, are celebrating the school's 100th
5 anniversary in 2004; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Wendell Phillips High School, which opened on
7 September 5, 1904, received its name from the great
8 abolitionist who openly criticized Abraham Lincoln for
9 delaying the emancipation of slaves; born in 1811, Wendell
10 Phillips spent nearly fifty years of his life championing the
11 fight against slavery, the ill-treatment of Native Americans,
12 equal pay and wages for women, and better working conditions
13 for all employed persons; and
 
14     WHEREAS, As a culmination of the Diamond Jubilee
15 celebration of 1979, Mr. Raymond McCants, Sr. led a committee
16 to dedicate and designate the school's main corridor as the
17 Hall of Fame; the photographs of many role models appear in the
18 Wendell Phillips Hall of Fame, including: Nettie Hayden
19 Baldwin; Alderman William Barnett; Timuel D. Black, Jr.,
20 educator, historian, and noted author; Honorable Archibald
21 Carey, Jr.; Nat "King" Cole; Sam Cooke; Thomas A. Dorsey,
22 musical composer of the famous spiritual, "Precious Lord"; The
23 Duster Family, descendants of Ida B. Wells; Alderman Wilson
24 Frost; Marla "Florence" Gibbs; George Johnson; John H. Johnson;
25 David W. Kellum, long known as "Bud Billiken" who served as
26 head cheerleader for all teams; Annie Lee, noted artist; Dr.
27 Loretta Hall Martin, former student, teacher, and current Hall
28 of Fame Chairperson; James D. Montgomery, Sr.; boxing champion,
29 Lee Roy Murphy; Silas Parnell, who for many years assisted
30 generations of students in obtaining scholarships to colleges
31 around the country; Dr. Annabelle Carey Prescott, former
32 student and teacher at Phillips; Honorable Albert S. Porter;
33 Roebuck "Pop" Staples; Dinah Washington; Dr. Irvin B. Watkins;

 

 

HR1161 - 2 - LRB093 23120 KEF 53159 r

1 and Claude "Buddy" Young; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Mrs. Maudell Brown Bousfield simultaneously
3 became Chicago's first African-American public school
4 principal and served as principal of Wendell Phillips from 1939
5 to 1950; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The school's championship basketball team was
7 drafted by Mr. Abe Saperstein to form the "original" nucleus of
8 the world renowned Harlem Globetrotters; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Major repairs and improvements to the school began
10 in the middle and late 1990s; the administration, community
11 leaders, parents, and political representatives all worked
12 together to lobby for major repairs and, as a result, major
13 external repairs and improvements were completed; a
14 Phillips-Mayo campus project added green space and additional
15 sports facilities; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The school received landmark status on May 7,
17 2003, from Chicago's City Council; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The Wendell Phillips High School Committee was
19 formed in December of 2003 to plan and execute a centennial
20 celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the school
21 and affirmed its commitment to: development of an endowment
22 fund to support students in achieving academic excellence and
23 scholarships; preservation of the cultural artifacts and oral
24 and written history of the school; establishment of a
25 tutoring/mentoring core comprised of Phillipsites and others;
26 retention of the school as a viable educational institution;
27 and supporting community based school activities; and
 
28     WHEREAS, The present administration and community leaders
29 have worked diligently to update computer facilities, improve
30 the library, and provide Internet access to the students; more

 

 

HR1161 - 3 - LRB093 23120 KEF 53159 r

1 improvements are in the planning stage; Wendell Phillips High
2 School (designated Wendell Phillips Academy High School
3 effective the 1997-98 school year) is striding into the new
4 millennium to meet the needs of its students; therefore, be it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7 hereby commemorate Wendell Phillips High School's 100th
8 anniversary, we recognize the school's many contributions to
9 the education and development of the children of Chicago, and
10 we extend to all those connected with the school our sincere
11 best wishes for continued success in the years to come; and be
12 it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to Wendell Phillips High School and the Wendell
15 Phillips High School Centennial Committee as an expression of
16 our esteem.