SR0389 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0389 LRB095 14021 KXB 39860 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Floyd Carroll; and

WHEREAS, Floyd Edward Carroll was born on March 8, 1927, in Mobile, Alabama, the sixth of seven children of Katie Crenshaw Carroll and Morgan Carroll; and

WHEREAS, Floyd Carroll's interest in music was cultivated by his mother, who was a music teacher; she taught him to play the violin at a very early age; Floyd enjoyed classical music, jazz, and anthems; Floyd was a lifetime subscriber to the Lyric Opera; Floyd taught his children to enjoy beautiful music and the stories behind the music; Floyd Carroll was also an ardent student of history; he was well versed in African and African-American History and served as the chairman of the Civil Rights Committee at Progressive Baptist Church during the Martin Luther King, Jr. era; he was instrumental in convincing the church members to participate in the Civil Rights Movement; and

WHEREAS, Floyd Carroll graduated from Mobile's Dunbar High School at the age of 17; he enlisted in the United States Navy and served his country during World War II; after his honorable discharge from the Navy he attended the University of Illinois at Navy Pier; he continued his education at Wilson Jr. College and Chicago Teachers College, where he earned his degree; and

WHEREAS, Floyd Carroll met his wife, Frances Graves, in 1953; they were joined together in Holy Matrimony on April 22, 1956; and

WHEREAS, Floyd Carroll was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in 1957; he was elected president of Theta Chapter in 1959 and was a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha, celebrating fifty years as an Alpha in March of 2007; he was active in the church, beginning as a young child in the A.M.E. church where he attended Sunday School with his mother; after his naval service, he joined Cosmopolitan Community Church, where he sang in the choir; he joined the Progressive Baptist Church and was invited to join the Teacher Training Class; he taught in the young adult department of the Sunday School for over fifteen years and sang in the senior choir; in January of 1970 he and his family united with the Greater Bethesda Baptist Church; he was appointed to the Deacon Board in 1970 and remained a member until his passing; and

WHEREAS, Floyd Carroll was employed by the United States Postal Service; he retired from the United States Postal Service in 1999; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Floyd Carroll will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him, especially his wife, Frances; his son, Floyd; his daughter, Francesca; his sisters, Marjorie C. Maben, LaRose C. Cobb, and Katrice C. Patterson; his nieces and nephews, Nicholas Maben, Margo Maben, Angela Cobb, Bruce Cobb, Katrice Patterson, Paul Patterson, and David Patterson; his five great-nieces and nephews; and his many colleagues and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Floyd Carroll; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Floyd Carroll as a symbol of our sympathy.