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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 learned with sadness of the death of Sonja I. James of
4 Naperville on Monday, March 20, 2006; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The daughter of Swedish immigrants, Mrs. James was
6 born and raised in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood and graduated
7 from Morgan Park High School in 1959; she received a bachelor's
8 degree in psychology from Valporaiso University and worked as a
9 social worker and probation officer for Cook County on
10 Chicago's South Side; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In 1967 she moved to Naperville and worked as a
12 counselor at River Edge, a treatment facility for troubled
13 teens on Chicago's West Side; she received a master's degree in
14 psychology from Roosevelt University; in the early 1970s, she
15 started her own private practice as a licensed psychologist in
16 Naperville before becoming the Director of Breaking Free, an
17 Aurora-based treatment facility for troubled teens; she later
18 served as Director of the Will County Department of Mental
19 Health, prior to retiring in 1995; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Mrs. James was a leading proponent of historic
21 preservation in Naperville, beginning in the mid-1980s, when
22 the aesthetic and historic character of her East Side
23 neighborhood was first threatened by the teardown and
24 replacement of older homes; she co-founded the East Central
25 Home Owners Association (ECHO), a group dedicated to the
26 historical preservation of the area that helped pass a city
27 ordinance leading to the creation of the Naperville Historic
28 District; and
 
29     WHEREAS, As a founder and former President of the ECHO,
30 Mrs. James did everything she could to educate the public about
31 historical preservation; she shared information from experts,

 

 

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1 backed candidates for public office that supported historic
2 preservation, and raised awareness for this issue amongst
3 members of the media; she made a difference in the culture of
4 her community; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In her retirement, Mrs. James delighted in
6 creating ornate handbags and jewelry by stringing tiny beads
7 together; her passing will be deeply felt by the many who knew
8 and loved her, especially her husband, John; her son, Jonathan;
9 her daughter Erika Fessler; and her grandchildren; therefore,
10 be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
12 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
13 Sonja James and extend our sincerest condolences to her family;
14 and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16 presented to her family as an expression of our deepest
17 sympathy.