SR0923 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0923 LRB096 23479 KXB 42846 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Marie Wilkinson of Aurora, who passed away on August 12, 2010; and

WHEREAS, She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans, Louisiana as Marie LeBeau; she moved to Aurora in 1929 and married auto mechanic Charles Wilkinson three years later; she was known as the matriarch of Aurora and spent most of her 101 years giving back to the city she called home; she fed the hungry, clothed the poor, convinced politicians to enact fair laws, and fought for equal rights for everyone; and

WHEREAS, In 1961, she started the St. Vincent DePaul Center on Sard Avenue in Aurora with the help of St. Peter's Church; she also helped form the Quad County Urban League, Aurora's Human Relations Commission (which she chaired for 40 years), and the food pantry and child development center that bear her name; and

WHEREAS, She was a strong crusader for civil rights and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and met Rosa Parks and Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till; in 2001, she received the Lumen Christi Award, the Catholic Church's highest honor for missionary work; and

WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson; her son, Donald Wilkinson; her grandson, Craig Wilkinson; her brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; her paternal grandparents, Robert and Lena Robinson; her maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion; and her aunt and uncle, Arthur and Hazel Ogden; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Wilkinson is survived by her daughter, Sheila Scott-Wilkinson; her two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and Michelle Wilkinson; her great-grandson, Christopher Wilkinson; and a host of nieces, nephews, friends, and other relatives; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of Dr. Marie Wilkinson; and be it further

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