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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Elroy C. Smith on
4 his 15 years of service to the Chicago radio industry; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Elroy C. Smith was born and raised on the island
6 of Bermuda; he is the youngest of 6 children born to Ismay and
7 Littenfeld Smith; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Elroy C. Smith's fascination with radio led him to
9 ZFB in Bermuda, where he was told by the program director that
10 he would never make it because of his inability to read;
11 determined to succeed, he went to New York to attend
12 Announcer's Training School; when he returned home, program
13 director Sergio Dean offered him a part-time job at ZFB as an
14 on-air personality; shortly after, he was admitted to Graham
15 Junior College in Boston, Massachusetts; still illiterate, he
16 taught himself to read by reading an encyclopedia every night;
17 and
 
18     WHEREAS, After finishing the two-year program at Graham
19 Junior College, Elroy C. Smith enrolled at Emerson College,
20 where he sought a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Elroy C. Smith joined WGCI-FM in 1992; since his

 

 

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1 arrival at WGCI-FM, the station has consistently been a ratings
2 leader in a number of demographics; he made history in 1993 by
3 carrying WGCI-FM to the number one slot in the metropolitan
4 area for three consecutive ratings periods; he has maintained
5 WGCI-FM as one of the biggest radio stations in Chicago from
6 February 1992 to March 2007; on July 5, 2004, he signed on with
7 Bermuda's HOTT 1075 radio station; in August 2006 he was chosen
8 to be Operations Manager of WVON; and
 
9     WHEREAS, In November 2000, Elroy C. Smith became program
10 director of the Urban Adult Contemporary station WVAZ-FM; in
11 2003, WVAZ-FM received the prestigious Marconi Award for Urban
12 Station of the Year from the National Association of
13 Broadcasters; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Elroy C. Smith has earned many honors and awards
15 during his career; he was named the Billboard Monitor Program
16 Director of the Year and was honored by the Living Legends
17 Foundation; he was a recipient of the Midwest Radio Music
18 Association Icon Award and the Salute to Excellence Award; he
19 was awarded the State of the District Media Award by the United
20 States Congress in 2006; in 2003 he was named the Program
21 Director of the Year at the Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas,
22 Nevada; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Elroy C. Smith is a faithful member of the Chicago

 

 

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1 Church of Christ; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Elroy C. Smith and his wife, Vonda, are the proud
3 parents of Colin Spencer and Carson Vaughn Smith; therefore, be
4 it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7 congratulate Elroy C. Smith on his 15 years of service to the
8 Chicago radio industry and wish him continued success and
9 happiness in the future; and be it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11 presented to Elroy C. Smith as a symbol of our esteem and
12 respect.