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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 James
4"Major" Adams; and
 
5    WHEREAS, James Adams was born on January 5, 1922 and was
6raised on the west side of Chicago in what was then called
7Maxwell Street; he graduated from Crane High School in 1939 and
8at the time of his death was the school's oldest living alumni;
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, After serving a tour in Europe during World War II
11and working for various agencies, including Jane Addams Hull
12House, James Adams moved into the Henry Horner Housing
13Development in 1955, where he immediately began to provide gang
14intervention and prevention programs as a volunteer and later
15as an employee of the Henry Horner Boys and Girls Club; due in
16part to his efforts, the Henry Horner Boys and Girls Club was
17the first Boys Club built in a housing development in the
18United States; he, along other community residents, created a
19drill team which later became the Hornets Drum and Bugle Corps,
20a nationally-renowned 120 member paramilitary-style band
21composed of young people and troubled youth ages 14 to 21; and
 
22    WHEREAS, From 1959 through 1962, James Adams, with the

 

 

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1assistance of the Chicago Area Project, established and
2developed the Youth Services Committee of the Westside, a
3grassroots voluntary community-based organization which
4addressed the rising juvenile delinquency cases in the
5neighborhood; along with other volunteer parents and leaders,
6he provided direct services and advocated on behalf of the
7youth and families with schools, courts, the Chicago Police
8Department, and other institutions; he also initiated
9community organizing and development efforts aimed at
10improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents; and
 
11    WHEREAS, During his work with the youth in the community,
12James Adams would often be visited by former residents that had
13recently been released from prison, many of them having no idea
14of how to get back on their feet; for many, the first stop
15after being released would be the Boy's Club to see "Major";
16with very few resources available, he created the community's
17first re-entry program for ex-felons; he recruited the
18Salvation Army to provide daily breakfast and lunches and the
19Mile Square Health Center and Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive
20Behavioral Health Center to provide medical services; during
21the 1970s and 1980s, he assisted the leadership of Malcolm X
22College in recruiting and increasing student enrollment,
23developing the community college music program, and promoting
24summer youth sport and academic initiatives; he also led the
25Malcolm X College Kwanzaa program for youth residing in the

 

 

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1Henry Horner Homes from 1993 to 1996 and was awarded the Shule
2Ya Watolo Service Award in 1996; and
 
3    WHEREAS, James Adams worked with local businesses,
4including Rush University, to provide job opportunities; he
5created the original Midnight Basketball program to keep young
6men off the streets during prime crime spree hours; his
7counseling and mentoring aided in reducing the rate of
8recidivism; his pioneering work with Nancy Jefferson and
9Congressman Danny Davis also led to many programs assisting
10ex-felons; and
 
11    WHEREAS, James Adams' work has influenced many notable
12individuals, such as Warner Saunders (NBC 5 news anchor),
13Reginald "Hats" Adams, Maurice and Verdine White (Earth, Wind,
14and Fire), Dr. Steven Parker, Dr. Vaughn Tatum, Sonny Lumpkin
15(City College Chancellor), Cheryl Hyman, Howard Lathan, Boyse
16Edwards, Keith Jackson, Arthur Robertson (founder of the South
17Shore Drill Team), Bill Freeman, and many other notable
18leaders; and
 
19    WHEREAS, James Adams was a recipient of numerous awards and
20accolades, including the 1998 National Jefferson
21Award/Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Public Service Award, the
222012 President's Volunteer Services Awards, and the 2013
23Governor's Volunteer Award; his work will also continue through

 

 

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1the agency he founded in 1996, the Major Adams Community
2Committee, which will keep alive his vision of "Empowering
3Youth and Families"; and
 
4    WHEREAS, James Adams served as a model of hard work,
5integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
6Illinois; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of
10James "Major" Adams; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the family of James Adams as an expression of our
13sympathy.