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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
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learn of the death of Willye B. White of Chicago, the first 
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American to compete in five Olympics, who passed away on 
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February 6, 2007; and

 
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    WHEREAS,
Willye White was born December 31, 1939, in Money, 
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Mississippi, and grew up in Greenwood; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Willye B. White competed in

every Olympics from 
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1956 to 1972, with only an injury keeping her from the 1976 
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team; in 1956 she was a 16-year old high school sophomore at 
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her first Olympics when she won a silver medal in

the long 
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jump; she won another silver medal in the 4 X 100 meter relay 
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in 1964; and

 
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    WHEREAS, She was America's best female long jumper for 
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almost two decades, with a career best of 21 feet 6 inches; she 
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won nine consecutive United States outdoor championships, set 
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seven American records and competed in 150 nations; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Willye White stood  5 feet 4 inches and 130 pounds, 
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and she could perform weightlifting squats with more than 380 
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pounds; and

 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, She once reflected that she only could get 
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recognition through sports; she started track as a 10-year-old 
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sprinter, turning to the long jump because the field of 
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sprinters was so large at that time, and there were few people 
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in the long jump competition; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Willye White entered Tennessee State University, 
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where the track coach was the renowned Ed Temple; another 
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future Olympian, the sprinter Wilma Rudolph, was a teammate; 
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she left the school after six months; in 1960 she moved to 
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Chicago and, in 1976, earned a degree in public health 
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administration from Chicago State University; she began a 
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career as a practical nurse and  spent 37 years working in city 
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government as a health administrator, a director of 
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recreational services, and a creator of sports programs for 
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young girls in housing projects; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In 1991, she founded the Willye White Foundation 
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to help children develop self-esteem; she was elected to eleven 
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halls of fame including the International Women's Sports Hall 
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of Fame, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, and the 
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Black Sports Hall of Fame; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Willye White is survived by her brother and her 
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sister; therefore, be it

 
 


 






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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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her family and friends, the passing of Willye B. White; and be 
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it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Willye B. White as a symbol of our 
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respect and sympathy.