HR1153

LRB093 23064 KEF 53029 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Dr. 
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Barbara Ann Laffoon Sizemore of Chicago on July 24, 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Barbara Ann was born in December 1927 to the union 
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of Sylvester Walter Laffoon and Delila Mae Alexander Stewart; 
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she was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana where she graduated high 
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school at age 16; she earned a B.A. and an M.A. both from 
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Northwestern University; she received a Ph.D. in Educational 
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Administration from the University of Chicago; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She was a teacher and administrator with the 
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Chicago public schools for 25 years from 1947 to 1972; she was 
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the first black woman to head a big city school system when she 
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was tapped as superintendent of schools for Washington, D.C., 
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from 1973 to 1975; she was professor and interim chairman of 
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the Department of Black Community, Research and Education at 
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the University of Pittsburgh from 1977 to 1992; in 1992, she 
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returned to Chicago, where she began her tenure as dean of the 
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School of Education at DePaul University; at DePaul, she 
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founded the School Achievement Structure, an organization that 
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used the "Structured Ten Routines," a model that accelerates 
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achievement and educational excellence in underachieving 
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schools and districts;  she retired in 1999 and lectured to 
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thousands of educators and organizations about the model and 
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other educational issues; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Dr. Sizemore was involved with numerous 
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organizations where she worked diligently to bring equal access 
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to educational opportunities for underserved and black 
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children; she worked to desegregate the Pittsburg Public 
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Schools, and was an instrumental member of Pittsburghers 
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Against Apartheid, an organization that struggled to end 
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apartheid in South Africa; and

 
 


 






HR1153
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LRB093 23064 KEF 53029 r




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    WHEREAS, She was the recipient of numerous awards and 
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recognitions and was a well-recognized scholar and author who 
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penned over 20 chapters in books and 20 articles in journals; 
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she authored, "The Ruptured Diamond: The Politics of the 
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Decentralization of the District of Columbia Public Schools," 
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and was completing a second book, which will be published 
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posthumously; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She was an educator, public speaker, and scholar 
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whose philosophy was that all children can learn and who 
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throughout her career worked to close the achievement gap 
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between black and white students; she encouraged educators to 
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spend more time teaching vocabulary and grammar to black 
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students and supported teaching traditional methods of phonics 
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for children who cannot read, rather than using the newer 
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methods that allowed children to write without regard to 
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correct spelling; she will be remembered as a strong, 
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independent, loving and giving woman; and

 

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    WHEREAS, The passing of Dr. Barbara Ann Laffoon Sizemore 
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will be deeply felt by many, especially her children, Furman 
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Sizemore, Jake Milliones, Kymara Chase, Furman Sizemore, 
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Beatena Nance (LaRon), Dubois Milliones, Momar Milliones, and 
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Marimba Milliones; her grandchildren; her godchildren; and her 
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countless other family and friends; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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mourn the death of Dr. Barbara Ann Laffoon Sizemore along with 
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all who knew and loved her and extend our sincere condolences 
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to her family and friends; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Dr. Barbara Ann Laffoon Sizemore as 
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a token of our deepest sympathy.