HR1591 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1591 LRB095 22937 GRL 53384 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Dr. Zelda Birdsong of Chicago on the occasion of her 100th birthday on December 18, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Zelda Birdsong was born on December 18, 1908 in Sardis, Mississippi; she attended school at LeMoyne High School and Tennessee State University in Memphis, Tennessee; she also attended Northwestern University in Chicago, majoring in journalism; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Zelda Birdsong was employed as a school teacher in Memphis, Tennessee; she was employed with the United States government with the U.S. Department of Agriculture; she served as an administrative assistant for the Reverend D.I. Isom, Jr.; she also has performed various duties with the St. Paul C.M.E. Church in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Zelda Birdsong has had a long and distinguished record of service with the C.M.E. Church; in 1919, she joined the Missionary Society of the C.M.E. Church in Memphis, Tennessee; she has been a loyal and faithful member of the St. Paul C.M.E. Church in Chicago since 1939; in 1978, she was appointed to be a member of the Judicial Council of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Zelda Birdsong is a member of numerous organizations within the C.M.E. Church, including the C.M.E. Hall of Fame, the R.A. Carter Club, the Silent Workers Club, the Lay Department, and the Sunday School program; she is a past director of the Board of Christian Education and a past secretary at the Missionary Society's national level; she was the first woman to be appointed to the Steward Board; she currently holds the offices of vice-chair of the Steward Board and parliamentarian of the St. Paul C.M.E. Church Missionary Society; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Zelda Birdsong married Arnie Quarles in 1937; he passed away in 1976; in 1981, she married Robert Birdsong; he passed away in 1996; she has four children, Essie Hill (deceased), Robert Birdsong Jr., Calvin Birdsong, and Leonard Birdsong; she also has a niece, Patricia Huey-You, and a nephew, Anderson Springfield; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Zelda Birdsong on the occasion of her 100th birthday and wish her many more happy and healthy years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Zelda Birdsong as a symbol of our esteem and respect.