HR0978 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0978 LRB093 22314 HSS 51402 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Albretta Catherine Harris-Hannon on May 17, 2004; and

WHEREAS, Albretta Catherine Harris-Hannon was born in Alexandria, Louisiana; her parents, Albert Johnson and Mary Hodges Johnson, local merchants, both preceded her in death; she attended South Alexandria Elementary School and Lampton College high school; she was married in 1924 to Calvin C. Harris, who preceded her in death; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Harris-Hannon was employed as a domestic for many years until she took a leap of faith and opened her own business; the motel, "Bretta's Hideaway", was built in 1951 by her Uncle Willie Hodges and opened in 1955; for many years, she provided comfortable living conditions for countless hunters and fishermen; famed singer/entertainer Jackie Wilson visited "Bretta's Hideaway"; she had superb business skills inherited from her parents and involved everyone in the family business; she delegated with the precision of a CEO of a Fortune 500 company; the motel was her passion as well as working as an entrepreneur; she was a pioneer and real renaissance woman and retired in August 1988; and

WHEREAS, Albretta married Louis S. Hannon in 1955; they spent many wonderful years together until his death in 1998; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Harris-Hannon had a zest for life and had various interests; she enjoyed vacationing in exotic places like Hawaii and the Caribbean and visiting relatives all over the U.S., including Los Angeles; she was very civic minded and was an active member of the Woodlawn Organization; she fought for social progress and worked with Holy Cross Church to stop the displacement of persons from the Woodlawn community by the University of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Harris-Hannon was very active and supportive of her two churches; in the early days of Indiana Avenue United Methodist Church (now known as Gorham), where she joined in 1934, she assisted with fish fries and spaghetti dinners to help raise funds for the church; she was honored in 2003 by Gorham for being a Senior Member of the church; she became interested in new thought teachings when her cousin brought home a discarded Daily Word and shared the information with her; she had a strong belief in the power of prayer and firmly believed that the family that prayed together stayed together; she was extremely frugal minded and knew the value of a dollar; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Albretta Catherine Harris-Hannon has been deeply felt by many, especially her sons, Henry and Albert; her daughters, Elective and Melloee; her grandchildren, Mary, Victor, Albert, Jr., Beverly, Calvin, Darryl, Eugenia, Joseph, Stephanie, and Sherri; her great-grandchildren, Rodney, Eric, Sonia, Felicia, Nicole, Christopher, Robert, Brooke, Dawn, Charles IV, Michael, and Stephen; and her many relatives, friends, neighbors, and others whose lives she touched; her daughter, Mary, preceded her in death; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Albretta Catherine Harris-Hannon, and we extend our sincerest condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Albretta Catherine Harris-Hannon as an expression of our deepest sympathy.