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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 Donald L. | ||||||
4 | Duster of Chicago, who passed away on March 11, 2013; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Donald Duster and his brothers and sisters all | ||||||
6 | achieved either the first or second academic ranking in their | ||||||
7 | high school classes; he went on to study math at the University | ||||||
8 | of Illinois and earned a master of business arts from DePaul | ||||||
9 | University; he served in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant from | ||||||
10 | 1953-1954 in Texas and Arizona; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Donald Duster began working at Spiegel in the | ||||||
12 | mid-1950s, a company that was known for welcoming African | ||||||
13 | Americans at a time when many corporate doors were not open to | ||||||
14 | them; in 1962, he joined ComEd as a financial analyst and | ||||||
15 | except for a small period when Governor James Thompson brought | ||||||
16 | him to the State's Department of Business and Economic | ||||||
17 | Development, which he ran from 1977 to 1979, he worked at ComEd | ||||||
18 | till 1987 when he became assistant executive director of | ||||||
19 | Chicago Commons, a non-profit agency; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Later in life, Donald Duster, began working | ||||||
21 | towards the non-violent ending of apartheid in South Africa; he | ||||||
22 | traveled there as a member of the United States-South Africa |
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1 | Leader Exchange Program in the 1970; and | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Donald Duster had a passion for photography; he | ||||||
3 | was a minimalist and would travel the globe carrying only a | ||||||
4 | small suitcase; when he found something he liked he stuck with | ||||||
5 | it; he would eat the same soup-and-salad combo for lunch every | ||||||
6 | day he worked for ComEd and was a member of the same book club | ||||||
7 | for 25 years; when his black Toyota Avalon broke down after 20 | ||||||
8 | years, he bought another one; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Donald Duster was the grandson of anti-lynching | ||||||
10 | crusader Ida B. Wells; he worked to support a monument in her | ||||||
11 | honor at 37th and Langley near her home; he was an active | ||||||
12 | member of the Ida B. Wells Memorial Foundation, and he | ||||||
13 | presented scholarships to students at Ms. Well's alma mater, | ||||||
14 | Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Donald Duster is survived by his wife of 50 years, | ||||||
16 | Maxine; his sons, David and Daniel; his daughter, Michelle | ||||||
17 | Duster; his brother, Troy Duster; and his sister Alfreda | ||||||
18 | Ferrell; therefore, be it
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19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
20 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
21 | we mourn the passing of Donald Duster, and we extend our | ||||||
22 | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew |
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1 | and loved him; and be it further
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2 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
3 | presented to the family of Donald Duster as an expression of | ||||||
4 | our deepest sympathy.
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