SR0163 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0163 LRB094 12095 HSS 45368 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Joan Carole Miller Wood on Friday, April 8, 2005; and

WHEREAS, She was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, on August 1, 1940, to James Erroll Miller, Ph.D., and Grace Odessa Thomas Miller; she grew up on the campus of Lincoln University, a historically black college, where she developed a passion for education and a love of the written word; after attending Washington Elementary school, she became one of the first African Americans to attend Jefferson City Senior High School; while in high school, she was the recipient of many accolades, including induction into the National Honor Society and receiving the Outstanding Journalist award; and

WHEREAS, After graduating with honors, she went on to attend Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she earned a degree in political science and pledged Delta Sigma Theta; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from Wellesley, she moved to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania, Annenberg School of Communications, where she earned her degree in photojournalism; her professional career began in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Senator Edward Long of Missouri; this job honed her analytical and writing skills and instilled in her a commitment to community service; armed with these tools and a passion for human equality, she went to work for the St. Louis Urban League and later the Louisville Urban League, where she met her groom, Clarence N. Wood; and

WHEREAS, They were married August 15, 1970, at the home of her parents on the campus of Indiana University; shortly after they married she became a National Urban Fellow and moved to Akron, Ohio; while in Ohio, Mrs. Wood worked for the Cleveland Foundation and completed additional graduate work in Public Administration; on May 13, 1972, Joan and Clarence were blessed with the birth of their only child, Carole, named after her mother; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, Mrs. Wood's commitment to community service was demonstrated through her work as: the National Executive Director of the Settlement House Association of America (New York); Senior Program Officer of the Chicago Community Trust; Director, Senior staff associate of the National Council of Negro Women; and Principal, Miller Wood Associates - business consulting (Chicago); she served as a consultant for various entities often as "angel in the background"; and

WHEREAS, She was an avid reader, music lover, and patron of the arts; she served on the boards of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, the Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation, and the Woman's Board of the Field Museum; she loved spending time with her friends, traveling with the Network, New Years Day parties in New York, holiday celebrations, and season tickets to local theatre; and

WHEREAS, Known for her wit and grace, Mrs. Wood was able to immediately make friends and acquaintances feel at ease and comfortable; additionally, she had a way of making people feel so special because she remembered so many of "the little things"; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Joan Carole Miller Wood has been deeply felt by many, especially her husband, Clarence; her daughter, Carole; her son-in-law, Carl Jenkins; her brother, James Erroll Miller II; her niece, Kimberly Miller; her nephew, James Erroll Miller III; her loving cousins, James and Olivia Fleming and their children and grandchildren, Jana, Jennifer, James Jr., John, Sam, Jake, Journey, and Olivia; her foster sons, Garaen Flake and Phillip Rivers; and her many cousins, friends, and loved ones; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Joan Carole Miller Wood, and we extend our sincere 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 her family as an expression of our deepest sympathy.