SR0476 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0476 LRB095 16976 KXB 43022 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Donn F. Bailey of Chicago, who passed away on December 21, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Donn Bailey was a native of New Castle, Indiana where his family was active in the Wiley United Methodist Church; upon his graduation from New Castle High School in 1949, he attended and graduated in 1954 from Indiana University with a major in Speech and Hearing Therapy and a minor in Speech Science; and

WHEREAS, He later received his Masters of Arts degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Indiana University; he received his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 1974; and

WHEREAS, Donn Bailey was recruited from Indiana University in 1954 to become the first Black male to be hired by the Chicago Board of Education, Division of Speech Correction, as a speech therapist; for eight years in worked in various elementary schools and from 1962 to 1966 he worked in different high schools as a Speech Pathologist; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Bailey was a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Indiana University ROTC Program; he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry in June of 1954 and was called into service in February of 1956; and

WHEREAS, Donn F. Bailey and A. June Bailey were married on May 1, 1955 after a whirlwind courtship; they were married for forty-nine years; and

WHEREAS, In 1965-1966 he joined with Dr. Donald H. Smith and Dr. Nancy L. Arnez in the founding of the Center for Inner City Studies (CICS) of Northeastern Illinois University; he resigned his position with the Chicago Public Schools and became a faculty member and instructor, as well as Assistant Director; after receiving his doctorate in 1974 he was appointed the Director and Professor of CICS; and

WHEREAS, As a result of his work, Dr. Bailey was awarded the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association in 1967; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Bailey co-founded the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing in 1977; he served as the first Executive Director from 1978 to 1981 and as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1984 to 1990; and

WHEREAS, During the 1980s, Dr. Bailey was appointed by the Chicago Board of Education to enforce the federally ordered consent decree: Monitoring Commission on School Desegregation in Chicago Public Schools; he served as a member of the Commission from 1983 to 1986 and served as the Commission Chairman from 1986 to 1990; and during this time period, he was also active in the campaign to elect Harold Washington as Mayor of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, He served as a public member on the Hearing Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) from 1994 to 1999; he was appointed by the Supreme Court to serve three 3-year terms as Commissioner on the ARDC in 2000, and resigned in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Bailey was an active member of the Chicago Alumni Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; he crossed the "Burning Sands" at the Alpha Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi at Indiana University in 1950; he was a founding member of the Chicago Heights Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi in 1965; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Dr. Donn F. Bailey will be deeply felt by those who knew and loved him, especially his daughters, Donna Lyn, Marta Ann, and Traja Melissa; as well as many cousins, nieces, and nephews; he was preceded in death by his brother, Rex H. Bailey; his sister, Kay P. Bailey; and his beloved wife, June Bailey; 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 Dr. Donn F. Bailey; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Dr. Donn F. Bailey as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.