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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Barbara
4O'Connor of Hyde Park, who passed away on January 12, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor was born in Chicago; she attended
6Catholic high school, Loyola University, and what is today St.
7Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor moved to the Hyde Park
9neighborhood in 1957; by 1960, she was a block director of the
10Hyde Park Community Conference (HPKCC), which formed to quell
11panic about the neighborhood's racial integration; and
 
12    WHEREAS, As fears of integration tampered, Barbara
13O'Connor campaigned for the focus of the HPKCC to turn towards
14raising funds for community projects and pilot programs aimed
15at improving the quality of urban life; this included
16successfully campaigning for the building of a new cultural
17center in the neighborhood; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor's community involvement included
19the Catholic Interracial Council, the Harper Court Foundation,
20and the Illinois Commission on Human Rights, where she worked
21as a consultant; she was also a member of the Independent

 

 

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1Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor became involved in campaign work
3as a teenager when she worked on Adlai Stevenson's
4gubernatorial campaign in 1948; she also worked on Chicago
5Mayor Harold Washington's mayoral campaign in 1983 and
6President Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor worked for both U.S.
8Representative Abner Mikva's and Governor Dan Walker's
9administrations in the 1970s; she worked for Mayor Washington's
10administration as telecommunications manager in the 1980s;
11during this time, she also worked for the Chicago Access
12Corporation; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor left city government in 1988; she
14then worked in former Cook County Clerk David Orr's elections
15department, taking a particular interest in voter registration
16and outreach; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor was an avid gardener, growing
18corn, eggplants, melons, tomatoes, and lettuce while living in
19her third-story apartment; she worked as the head of the herb
20department for the HPKCC Garden Fair for decades; she also
21enjoyed knitting and photography; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we mourn the passing of Barbara O'Connor and extend our sincere
4condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
5her; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to the family of Barbara O'Connor as an expression of
8our deepest sympathy.