HR0865 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0865 LRB103 41561 LAW 74780 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Susan "Sue" Duncan of Chicago, who passed away on July 9, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Sue Duncan was born to Betsey and William Morton in Winchester, Massachusetts on December 31, 1934; she received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Smith College in 1955 and a Master of Arts in English from University of Wisconsin in 1957; she became a resident of Hyde Park in Chicago in 1959; she married Starkey Duncan Jr., Ph.D., and they had three children, later divorcing in 1995 after 35 years of marriage; and

WHEREAS, For over 50 years, Sue Duncan served as an educator and mother figure to thousands of children from some of the poorest neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side; she initially taught high school English in Cleveland for two years and at City Colleges of Chicago for one year; after witnessing the inequities in education faced by many Black children in Chicago, she opened the Sue Duncan Children's Center at a church in the Kenwood neighborhood in 1961; over the years, she moved the after-school program between several church basements before eventually settling into three classrooms at Jackie Robinson Elementary School in 2003, expanding her program to include six teachers, four assistants, 12 work-study students, and a cadre of volunteers and the establishment of a board of directors; and

WHEREAS, Sue Duncan donated her time and personal resources while operating the Sue Duncan Children's Center; she enriched her students' lives through tutoring, fulfilled their basic needs through supplying clothing and food when needed, and ensured they had better educational opportunities through arranging scholarships; in the process, she instilled the values of consistency and hard work in her students, with many becoming positive influences on society as engineers, doctors, lawyers, educators, philanthropists, police officers, firefighters, servicemen and women, athletes, actors, musicians, community leaders, and business owners; she continued to actively serve the center until her retirement in 2011; post-retirement, and despite memory loss, she could still be found assisting the program in various ways, including passing out gifts to children during the holidays and attending the center's annual Fall Fete fundraiser; and

WHEREAS, Sue Duncan was the recipient of a number of accolades, including receiving a UNICEF Humanitarian Award and being the focus of Remember Me Sue, a 2014 documentary exploring her life and work; and

WHEREAS, Sue Duncan was an extraordinary, modest, and courageous individual whose impact on education in Chicago and the lives of her former students will reverberate for generations; and

WHEREAS, Sue Duncan is survived by her children, former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Sarah Duncan, and Owen Duncan, and nine grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Susan "Sue" Duncan and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Sue Duncan as an expression of our deepest sympathy.