HR0242 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0242 LRB097 11398 KXB 53717 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Sandra Gildersleeve-Freeman of Chicago, who passed away on March 3, 2011; and

WHEREAS, She was born on July 28, 1956 to Albert and Zola Gildersleeve; she professed her faith in God and was a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church; she was a proud and loyal member of the Inspirational Choir; and

WHEREAS, She attended Betsy Ross Elementary School and Englewood High School; in high school she was involved with the Army ROTC program and was named the 1972 ROTC Queen, received the Superior Cadet Award, and the 1974 Lieutenant Colonel Army ROTC Commander in Chief of Battalion; she attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana with a four-year Pullman Academic Scholarship; while in college, she studied abroad in Rodez, France; she received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Sociology/Anthropology and a minor in African-American studies; and

WHEREAS, She later received a Master's degree in Corrections and Criminal Justice and worked towards her Ph.D. at Loyola University and DePaul University in the areas of Social Work and Sociology; and

WHEREAS, She met and later married her true love, Larry "Dobbie" Freeman; and

WHEREAS, She was employed at Chicago State University in the Financial Aid Department; she was later promoted to the Military Science Department; her true passion was writing and poetry; she was the founder of Kenyatta Publications and is remembered as a poet, writer, educator, and songwriter; and

WHEREAS, She was a member of the Academy of American Poets, the African-American Publishing Association, the International Platform Association, the International Society of Poets, the International Black Writers Conference, and the Women in Literature Networking Audience; she received many awards, including the Silver Poet Award, the Poet of Merit award, the Golden Poet Award, and others; and

WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her parents; and

WHEREAS, Sandra Gildersleeve-Freeman is survived by her husband, Larry; her children, Lawrence and Zola; her mother-in-law, Eula (Isaac) Spann; her brothers, Winfred (Michelle) Boyd and Albert (Barbara) Gildersleeve; her sisters, Shirley (Robert) Harris and Beverly Catherine; her brothers-in-law, Melvin Freeman and Campanella (Queen) Freeman; her sisters-in-law, Angela Carter, Shirley (Wendell) Sanders, Catherine (Bennett) Hall, and Anita Freeman; her special nephew, Michael Bland; her special nieces, LaTanya Burton, Dietrich Graham, and NaTasha Harris; as well as a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of Sandra Gildersleeve-Freeman; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Sandra Gildersleeve-Freeman as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.