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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Claudell | ||||||
| 4 | Ervin, who passed away on December 19, 2017; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin was born in Jackson, Mississippi to | ||||||
| 6 | Claude and Geneva Ervin on August 8, 1943; he was baptized at | ||||||
| 7 | an early age and attended Mandell United Methodist Church; he | ||||||
| 8 | attended Roswell B. Mason Elementary School and David G. | ||||||
| 9 | Farragut High School, where he excelled as a running back on | ||||||
| 10 | the football team; he received a football scholarship to | ||||||
| 11 | Central College in Pella, Iowa and earned a bachelor's degree | ||||||
| 12 | in criminal justice from Chicago State University; in November | ||||||
| 13 | of 1970, he married the love of his life, Thelma Johnson; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin began his career with the Chicago | ||||||
| 15 | Police Department in 1968; he served 13 years as a patrolman | ||||||
| 16 | which included the 15th, 21st, and 22nd Districts; in April | ||||||
| 17 | 1981, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and was assigned | ||||||
| 18 | to the 15th District, and later, to the 11th District, where he | ||||||
| 19 | was Neighborhood Relations Sergeant; he attended the | ||||||
| 20 | Northwestern University Center for Public Safety Police | ||||||
| 21 | Management Training Program and was assigned to the Commander's | ||||||
| 22 | Office of the Police Training Division; in 1991, he was | ||||||
| 23 | promoted to the rank of lieutenant and assigned as the | ||||||
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| 1 | Commanding Officer of the Police Training Academy's Operations | ||||||
| 2 | Section; in May of 1996, he was promoted to commander of the | ||||||
| 3 | Area 1 Detective Division; later that year he returned to his | ||||||
| 4 | roots as commander of the 11th District; he retired in 2000 | ||||||
| 5 | after 32 years of service; in 2008, he returned to law | ||||||
| 6 | enforcement as chief of police for the Village of Hazel Crest; | ||||||
| 7 | and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin mentored young men from the | ||||||
| 9 | Westside of Chicago through his support of various athletic | ||||||
| 10 | programs that produced talents such as Isiah Thomas, Glen "Doc" | ||||||
| 11 | Rivers, and Mark Aguirre; through his leadership, various youth | ||||||
| 12 | entered into the field of law enforcement and had successful | ||||||
| 13 | careers; he was responsible for the success of such programs as | ||||||
| 14 | the 11th District Prayer Vigil, Mayor Daley's Super Block, the | ||||||
| 15 | Ministers Alliance, the Men's Club, youth athletic programs, | ||||||
| 16 | the Explorer Scouts Program, the Explorer Gospel Fest, the | ||||||
| 17 | Junior Police, Toys-for-Tots, and his personal favorite, the | ||||||
| 18 | box car derby; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin served as head of security for the | ||||||
| 20 | 1988 NBA All-Star Weekend, held for the first time in Chicago; | ||||||
| 21 | he then became NBA Security Director for the Chicago Bulls, | ||||||
| 22 | where he served through 2004; and | ||||||
| 23 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin was licensed to preach and attended | ||||||
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| 1 | the Northern Baptist Seminary; he served as a chaplain at | ||||||
| 2 | Advocate Bethany Hospital; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin was a member of the National | ||||||
| 4 | Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), and | ||||||
| 5 | served as chairman of the board for the Bobby E. Wright | ||||||
| 6 | Community Mental Health Center; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin was a member of New Morning Star | ||||||
| 8 | M.B. Church, where he was actively involved in Christian | ||||||
| 9 | education and served as chairman of the board of deacons; in | ||||||
| 10 | 2003, he joined the Third Baptist Church in Chicago; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin was preceded in death by his | ||||||
| 12 | parents and his brother, Ronald Ervin; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Claudell Ervin is survived by his wife of 47 | ||||||
| 14 | years, Thelma; his children, Michele (Lee) Bussie and Jason | ||||||
| 15 | (State Rep. Melissa Conyears-Ervin) Ervin; his brothers, Jerry | ||||||
| 16 | (Flora) Ervin and Michael (Sheila) Ervin; his sisters-in-law, | ||||||
| 17 | Evelyn Brady, Ruthie (Charles) Johnson, and Katherine | ||||||
| 18 | (Michael) Smith; his brothers-in-law, Roger (Dorothy) Johnson, | ||||||
| 19 | Robert Johnson, and Reginald (Sharon) Johnson; his | ||||||
| 20 | grandchildren, Lee Hollis Bussie, Blake Douglas Bussie, and Pa | ||||||
| 21 | Pa's "sweet little angel", Jeneva Claudette Ervin; numerous | ||||||
| 22 | nieces, nephews, and friends; a very special brother-in-law, | ||||||
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| 1 | Charles Johnson; and a devoted care giver, Ronald Neely; | ||||||
| 2 | therefore, be it
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| 3 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 4 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 5 | mourn the passing of Claudell Ervin, and extend our sincere | ||||||
| 6 | condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved | ||||||
| 7 | him; and be it further
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| 8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 9 | presented to the family of Claudell Ervin as an expression of | ||||||
| 10 | our deepest sympathy.
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