HR1326 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1326 LRB094 20571 HLH 58883 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois learned with great sadness of the death of their dear friend and colleague Lovana "Lou" Jones on May 8, 2006; and

WHEREAS, She was born March 28, 1938 in Mansfield, Ohio to Louise and Sylvester Walker; and

WHEREAS, She attended high school in Mansfield before earning a Bachelor's degree in business administration from Ohio State University; and

WHEREAS, She moved with her mother to Illinois in 1959, settling in Chicago's Douglas/Grand Boulevard neighborhood; her sister joined them later; and

WHEREAS, She was the mother of Timothy Walker, the late Stephanie Walker, and the late Leslie Walker Boyd; she was a grandmother of seven: Tivaughn Walker, Timothy A. Walker, William Ramone Bradley Boyd, Nicholas A. Boyd, Carolyn N. Boyd, Triston T. Boyd, and Timika L. Walker; and

WHEREAS, She was a member of Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church, serving on its Mothers Board, and a deeply spiritual woman whose faith was a source of great strength and helped to see her through times of adversity; and

WHEREAS, She worked for the United States Postal Service, American Bank, and for the City of Chicago, and she volunteered as a member of innumerable boards and civic organizations; and

WHEREAS, She was long involved in Democratic politics and helped the late Harold Washington, then a United States Congressman, to make history by becoming the first African-American mayor of the City of Chicago in 1983; and

WHEREAS, She was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1986 and re-elected nine times thereafter; and

WHEREAS, She was first appointed as an assistant majority leader in 1989; she was the chairperson of the Public Safety Appropriations Committee; she served as a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention; she was a revered member of the House Legislative Black Caucus; she was a mentor and inspiration to younger members of the legislature; she was admired by fellow legislators from both sides of the aisle who often sought her counsel and advice; and

WHEREAS, She was known for her candor, sharp wit, and willingness to speak the truth to power; she was a formidable debater, equally at ease offering a profound point on a matter of public policy as she was at leaving her colleagues in stitches with a funny story or memorable retort; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her life she treated others, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, income, or sexual orientation, with the same degree of dignity and respect to which she believed that all human beings were entitled, and she demanded that others do the same; she fought discrimination in all its forms; she was a great leader in the struggle for equal rights for minorities and insistent that people of color have a place at the table; and

WHEREAS, She firmly held that, as the gospels say, ultimately all will be made to account for how they treated the least among us; she devoted her energies and talents as a legislator to giving voice to the voiceless, comfort to the infirm, and assistance to the poor; and

WHEREAS, She leaves an extraordinary legislative legacy; she was passionate in her commitment to criminal justice reform and also an advocate for crime victims, with a special focus on supporting battered women's efforts to rebuild their lives; she secured funding for projects, organizations, and institutions that could make a positive difference for her constituents, including billions more for schools throughout the State; she demanded that minority hiring be a requirement for public works projects; she brought new attention to the problem of postpartum depression; she helped to enact programs that allowed senior citizens to afford their prescription medications and have the dignity of leading independent lives; she led the effort to give ex-offenders a second chance through her work on record expungement for non-violent crimes; she worked to make Illinois a leader in providing health care coverage to the uninsured; she led efforts to arrange the State's purchase of the John Hart Crenshaw House, also known as the Old Slave House, in Gallatin County in 2000 to make sure this part of African-American history in Illinois was understood and appreciated by future generations; and

WHEREAS, While she was justly proud of her many achievements as a legislator, she felt that they paled in comparison to her pride in the accomplishments of her grandchildren, including those whose care and raising she undertook after her daughter's passing more than a decade ago; she used her experience to become an advocate for grandparents raising grandchildren and to increase public awareness about the subject and to pass legislation to provide college assistance to help families who find themselves taking on such a demanding challenge at an advanced age; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Lovana "Lou" Jones has been deeply felt by many, especially her son, Timothy Walker; her sister, Mary Springfield; her brothers, Harvey Day and Bradley K. Walker; her step-sister, Sylvia Hunter; and her many grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and neighbors; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Lovana "Lou" Jones, a true original, one of our own, and a woman whose contributions to the civic life of Illinois and steadfast commitment to her family and the people she served will long be remembered and celebrated, and we extend our deepest sympathy 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 her family as an expression of our sincerest condolences.