Full Text of SR1596 101st General Assembly
SR1596 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Barbara Samuels of Chicago, who passed | 4 | | away on July 2, 2020; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels was born to Blanche and Dr. John | 6 | | Wilson in Gary, Indiana on August 15, 1937; she grew up in | 7 | | Chicago and graduated from Lucy Flower Vocational High School | 8 | | in 1955; she attended the School of the Art Institute of | 9 | | Chicago and Chicago State University; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In 1963, Barbara Samuels became the first African | 11 | | American copywriter for the Sears and Roebuck catalog; she | 12 | | worked as part of a design team at Sears and Roebuck that made | 13 | | household accessories, including lighting fixtures, | 14 | | dinnerware, and tabletop items; she was then promoted to buyer | 15 | | of handbags and later to national buyer of casual footwear; in | 16 | | 1968, she helped select clothing for the 1968 U.S. Olympic | 17 | | Team; in 1998, she was named global "Buyer of the Year", | 18 | | winning over 300 other nominees; she was also one of the first | 19 | | African Americans to visit many of the Sears and Roebuck | 20 | | manufacturing facilities abroad; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, After an early retirement, Barbara Samuels | 22 | | launched The Lion's Share in 1994; her firm offered practical, |
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| 1 | | profit-oriented advice for fledgling designers, merchants, and | 2 | | small companies in the fashion industry; Barbara organized | 3 | | fashion shows for major organizations and charities, including | 4 | | the Jesse Owens Foundation, the Chicago Urban League, Delta | 5 | | Sigma Theta Sorority, and the American Academy of Pediatrics; | 6 | | as a media personality, she participated in fashion segments on | 7 | | Channel 32 Fox TV, WVON Radio, and the Bertrice Berry Show; she | 8 | | was a wardrobe and set design consultant for public | 9 | | television's America's Family Kitchen with VertaMae Grosvenor; | 10 | | she also wrote a fashion column for N'DIGO and lectured at | 11 | | Columbia College; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels served as a board member or | 13 | | officer of several fashion-related entities, including Fashion | 14 | | Group International, the Apparel Industry Board, Inc. of | 15 | | Illinois, GenArt, The Color of Fashion, the Leaguers of the | 16 | | Chicago Urban League, and the Costume Committee of the Chicago | 17 | | Historical Society; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels was preceded in death by her husband, | 19 | | Alfred Jordan and her son, Michael; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Barbara Samuels is survived by her son, Gregory; | 21 | | therefore, be it
| 22 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL |
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| 1 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
| 2 | | Barbara Samuels and extend our sincere
condolences to her | 3 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved
her; and be it | 4 | | further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
| 6 | | presented to the family of Barbara Samuels as an expression of
| 7 | | our deepest sympathy.
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