Full Text of HR1576 94th General Assembly
HR1576 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to honor Louanner Peters, the first | 4 |
| African-American woman to be named Illinois Deputy Governor; | 5 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, The ninth of twelve children, Louanner grew up on | 7 |
| a farm in Angie, Louisiana; her father died when she was eight, | 8 |
| leaving behind a wife and twelve children, nine of whom still | 9 |
| lived at home; during this time of family struggle Louanner's | 10 |
| mother instilled into her children an awesome sense of family, | 11 |
| responsibility, and perseverance; and
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| WHEREAS, Despite early hardships, Louanner graduated from | 13 |
| high school and continued to pursue her education; she enrolled | 14 |
| in Louisiana State University (LSU) where she earned a | 15 |
| Bachelor's degree in political science; in 1969, while | 16 |
| attending LSU, Louanner and a coalition of fellow students | 17 |
| helped to elect Baton Rouge's first African-American city | 18 |
| council member; Louanner relocated to Chicago where she earned | 19 |
| her Master's degree in social work from the Jane Addams School | 20 |
| of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1975 she served as founding Director of the | 22 |
| Flannery Senior Health Care Center; with her public service | 23 |
| career well underway, Louanner began a ten-year stint of | 24 |
| service on Capitol Hill in 1981, serving as Chief of Staff for | 25 |
| Illinois Congressman Gus Savage; while on Capitol Hill she | 26 |
| sought to address issues related to social and economic | 27 |
| inequities and civil rights injustices;
Louanner's efforts | 28 |
| influenced Illinois politics and policy for almost three | 29 |
| decades; and | 30 |
| WHEREAS,
From 1995 through 1998, Louanner served as | 31 |
| Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Washington |
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| Convention Center Authority; under her leadership Washington | 2 |
| D.C. built the
largest structure in our nation's capital which | 3 |
| is to this day a hub for economic growth; she then served as | 4 |
| Deputy Director for Voter Empowerment for the NAACP, as well as | 5 |
| Outreach Coordinator for the NAACP National Voter Fund;
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| WHEREAS, In 1988 Louanner was confronted with a | 7 |
| life-altering challenge when she was diagnosed with breast | 8 |
| cancer; although it was one of her life's greatest obstacles, | 9 |
| the journey became one of her greatest triumphs; her ability to | 10 |
| tame the adverse affects of the disease added another dimension | 11 |
| to her life-long commitment to advocacy; and | 12 |
| WHEREAS,
Louanner's commitment to public service is | 13 |
| resolute; she has served as a consultant to the United States | 14 |
| Department of Defense, Breast Cancer Research Program, as a | 15 |
| professional staff member on the Committee on Public Works, the | 16 |
| Economic Development Subcommittee, and the Public Buildings | 17 |
| and Grounds Subcommittee of the United States House of | 18 |
| Representatives; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS,
Louanner has dedicated her life to many causes; in | 20 |
| addition to her passions for breast cancer research and | 21 |
| education, she has also worked tenaciously on policies in areas | 22 |
| affecting senior citizens, families, and children; she is a | 23 |
| diligent steward of Governor Blagojevich's priorities and | 24 |
| policies; her leadership ensures State social service agencies | 25 |
| are responsive to the needs of Illinois' citizens; and
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| WHEREAS, Louanner's story encapsulates the American spirit | 27 |
| and through her contributions she has become one of Illinois' | 28 |
| authentic treasures; her most treasured role in life, however, | 29 |
| is that of mother to her son Joseph Peters, and grandmother to | 30 |
| Joseph Peters Jr.; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 2 |
| we congratulate Louanner Peters on being named the first | 3 |
| African-American woman to serve as Illinois Deputy Governor; | 4 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 |
| presented to Louanner Peters, as an expression of our respect | 7 |
| and esteem.
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