093_SR0296

 
                                     LRB093 13662 HSS 19045 r

 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  Senate  of  the  State  of
 3    Illinois  learned  with  regret  of  the death of Bette Jayne
 4    Powell of Alton on Friday, September 26, 2003; and

 5        WHEREAS, Mrs. Powell was born and raised  in  Alton;  her
 6    parents were Jesse and Elsie Cannon; she graduated from Alton
 7    High School, where she was disturbed by the unequal treatment
 8    African-American  students  received;  she  attended  the old
 9    Shurtleff College in  Alton;  in  1949,  she  married  Lonnie
10    Powell in Alton; and

11        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Powell  helped  found  the Madison County
12    Urban League and ran it for several years before becoming the
13    first woman president of the Alton  branch  of  the  National
14    Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Colored People; while
15    serving the NAACP, Mrs. Powell helped lead the fight  to  get
16    the Alton Police and Fire Departments to live up to the terms
17    of   a   federal   consent  decree  requiring  them  to  hire
18    African-American officers and firefighters; she  also  served
19    as  a state officer, acting as director of employment for the
20    Illinois NAACP; and

21        WHEREAS, In 1988, Mrs. Powell joined the  Madison  County
22    State's  Attorney's office as a victim's advocate under State
23    Senator William Haine; she retired in 2003; and

24        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Powell  was  recognized  for   her   many
25    contributions  to  the African-American community; her honors
26    include the Living Legend Award, given by the 100  Black  Men
27    of Alton; she was also trustee of the Elijah Lovejoy Monument
28    and  vice  president  of  the  Metro-East  Women's  Political
29    Caucus; and

30        WHEREAS,  The  passing  of  Bette  Jayne  Powell has been
31    deeply felt by many, especially her  sons,  Dean  Powell  and
 
                            -2-      LRB093 13662 HSS 19045 r
 1    Gregory   Powell;  her  sister,  Mary  Johnson;  and  her  10
 2    grandchildren; therefore, be it

 3        RESOLVED, BY  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL
 4    ASSEMBLY  OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing
 5    of Bette Jayne Powell, who will be remembered as a woman  who
 6    turned  her  own  experiences  of  racism  into a lifetime of
 7    seeking to right injustices; and be it further

 8        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
 9    presented   to  the  family  of  Bette  Jayne  Powell  as  an
10    expression of our sincerest condolences  and  sorrow  at  the
11    loss of a great woman.