SR0666 LRB095 20756 GRL 49282 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3 learn of the death of Leon Finney Sr. of Chicago, who passed
4 away on April 4, 2008; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. was born in Mississippi; he was
6 the son of entrepreneur T.J. Huddleston; he moved to Chicago
7 around 1938, hoping to join the military; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. was the founder and owner of the
9 Leon's Bar-B-Q chain; he founded the business in 1941, after
10 the police broke up a bookie joint in the basement of a
11 barbecue shop on Garfield Boulevard in Chicago; after the raid,
12 the owner offered to sell the barbecue restaurant for $700, the
13 price of the refrigerator; after his father wired him the
14 money, he opened Leon's Bar-B-Q, which has since become a
15 staple of Chicago's culinary history and is frequently on food
16 critic lists for the best ribs in Chicago; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. kept Leon's Bar-B-Q open
18 continuously since 1941, except for a break in the 1950s when
19 meat prices were too high; his late wife, Adeline, helped run
20 the restaurants; he was active in running his restaurants until
21 his health began to decline in 2002; and
 

 

 

SR0666 - 2 - LRB095 20756 GRL 49282 r

1     WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. was an active advocate of
2 African-American business and community organizations, helping
3 numerous African-Americans create many businesses in the City
4 of Chicago and beyond; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. is survived by his six children,
6 Rev. Leon Finney Jr., Gwendlyn Woods, Michael, Michelle, Andre,
7 and Zenobia Rene; and his nine grandchildren; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Leon Finney Sr. will be remembered by all who knew
9 and loved him for his dedication to his profession and his
10 willingness to help his fellow entrepreneurs; therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
12 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
13 his family and friends, the passing of Leon Finney Sr.; and be
14 it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16 presented to the family of Leon Finney Sr. as an expression of
17 our sympathy.