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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Edna | ||||||
4 | Williams, who passed away on December 31, 2012; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Edna Williams was a native of Chicago and attended | ||||||
6 | Chicago public schools; while in elementary school, she began | ||||||
7 | her vocal studies with the distinguished vocal teacher, Stella | ||||||
8 | Sanger, at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, and piano with | ||||||
9 | Anna Maitland and Ida B. Davis; after graduating from Parker | ||||||
10 | High School, she furthered her studies by enrolling for 2 years | ||||||
11 | at the former Wilson Junior College (now Kennedy-King College), | ||||||
12 | where she served as President of the Music Club, and one year | ||||||
13 | at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where she | ||||||
14 | studied voice with professor LeRoy Hamp; and
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15 | WHEREAS, In 1954, Edna Williams enrolled at the Chicago | ||||||
16 | Musical College of Roosevelt University, studying piano with | ||||||
17 | Dr. Felix Ganz and voice with the eminent Dr. Harvey Rignel; | ||||||
18 | she subsequently earned her bachelor's degree in music in 1957 | ||||||
19 | and her master's degree in music in 1959; while attending | ||||||
20 | Roosevelt, she was the recipient of the Sue Cowan Hintz Voice | ||||||
21 | Award, the Oliver Ditson Voice Scholarship, and the coveted | ||||||
22 | John Hay Whitney Fellowship, which afforded her 15 months of | ||||||
23 | study in Vienna, Austria, with such fine teachers as Baron Hans |
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1 | Karg-Bebenburg and Professor Erik Werba; while in Austria, she | ||||||
2 | was presented in 2 recitals and was critically acclaimed; upon | ||||||
3 | her return to the United States in 1960, she toured Illinois, | ||||||
4 | Indiana, and Ohio in recital and sang many times on Chicago | ||||||
5 | radio and television; and
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6 | WHEREAS, In 1965, Edna Williams joined the faculty of | ||||||
7 | Northern Illinois University, where she retired in 1994 as a | ||||||
8 | Professor of Music; she also presented faculty recitals, | ||||||
9 | appeared as a soloist with the choral ensembles and the NIU | ||||||
10 | Philharmonic, and sang at many of the leading churches of all | ||||||
11 | denominations in the community; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Edna Williams was a former professional member of | ||||||
13 | the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus and appeared on several | ||||||
14 | occasions as a soprano soloist with the Chicago Chamber | ||||||
15 | Orchestra; for over 20 years, she was the soprano soloist in | ||||||
16 | the annual presentation of Handel's "Messiah"; in 1977, she | ||||||
17 | appeared a guest soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of | ||||||
18 | Stavanger, Norway, performing repertoire in Norwegian and | ||||||
19 | English; in 1983, she was presented in concert in the Martin | ||||||
20 | Luther King, Jr. Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College in | ||||||
21 | Atlanta, Georgia; and
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22 | WHEREAS, Edna Williams was a member of the National | ||||||
23 | Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., where she served as a |
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1 | board member, chairperson of the Artists Directory, and | ||||||
2 | national and regional scholarship chairperson; she also served | ||||||
3 | as second vice-president and scholarship chairperson of the | ||||||
4 | Chicago Music Association; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Edna Williams was a life-long member of Monumental | ||||||
6 | Baptist Church and was appointed to serve as the church's | ||||||
7 | Minister of Music in 1992; she also served on the Monumental | ||||||
8 | Credit Union Scholarship Committee and served as the | ||||||
9 | organization's treasurer and first president; and | ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, In 1989, Edna Williams was the recipient of an | ||||||
11 | honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the Chicago Baptist | ||||||
12 | Institute in recognition of her achievements and contributions | ||||||
13 | to the Christian ministry; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
15 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
16 | we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of | ||||||
17 | Edna Williams; and be it further
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18 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
19 | presented to the family of Edna Williams as an expression of | ||||||
20 | our sympathy.
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