Full Text of HR1070 099th General Assembly
HR1070 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of James | 4 | | "Major" Adams; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, James Adams was born on January 5, 1922 and was | 6 | | raised on the west side of Chicago in what was then called | 7 | | Maxwell Street; he graduated from Crane High School in 1939 and | 8 | | at the time of his death was the school's oldest living alumni; | 9 | | and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, After serving a tour in Europe during World War II | 11 | | and working for various agencies, including Jane Addams Hull | 12 | | House, James Adams moved into the Henry Horner Housing | 13 | | Development in 1955, where he immediately began to provide gang | 14 | | intervention and prevention programs as a volunteer and later | 15 | | as an employee of the Henry Horner Boys and Girls Club; due in | 16 | | part to his efforts, the Henry Horner Boys and Girls Club was | 17 | | the first Boys Club built in a housing development in the | 18 | | United States; he, along other community residents, created a | 19 | | drill team which later became the Hornets Drum and Bugle Corps, | 20 | | a nationally-renowned 120 member paramilitary-style band | 21 | | composed of young people and troubled youth ages 14 to 21; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, From 1959 through 1962, James Adams, with the |
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| 1 | | assistance of the Chicago Area Project, established and | 2 | | developed the Youth Services Committee of the Westside, a | 3 | | grassroots voluntary community-based organization which | 4 | | addressed the rising juvenile delinquency cases in the | 5 | | neighborhood; along with other volunteer parents and leaders, | 6 | | he provided direct services and advocated on behalf of the | 7 | | youth and families with schools, courts, the Chicago Police | 8 | | Department, and other institutions; he also initiated | 9 | | community organizing and development efforts aimed at | 10 | | improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, During his work with the youth in the community, | 12 | | James Adams would often be visited by former residents that had | 13 | | recently been released from prison, many of them having no idea | 14 | | of how to get back on their feet; for many, the first stop | 15 | | after being released would be the Boy's Club to see "Major"; | 16 | | with very few resources available, he created the community's | 17 | | first re-entry program for ex-felons; he recruited the | 18 | | Salvation Army to provide daily breakfast and lunches and the | 19 | | Mile Square Health Center and Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive | 20 | | Behavioral Health Center to provide medical services; during | 21 | | the 1970s and 1980s, he assisted the leadership of Malcolm X | 22 | | College in recruiting and increasing student enrollment, | 23 | | developing the community college music program, and promoting | 24 | | summer youth sport and academic initiatives; he also led the | 25 | | Malcolm X College Kwanzaa program for youth residing in the |
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| 1 | | Henry Horner Homes from 1993 to 1996 and was awarded the Shule | 2 | | Ya Watolo Service Award in 1996; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, James Adams worked with local businesses, | 4 | | including Rush University, to provide job opportunities; he | 5 | | created the original Midnight Basketball program to keep young | 6 | | men off the streets during prime crime spree hours; his | 7 | | counseling and mentoring aided in reducing the rate of | 8 | | recidivism; his pioneering work with Nancy Jefferson and | 9 | | Congressman Danny Davis also led to many programs assisting | 10 | | ex-felons; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, James Adams' work has influenced many notable | 12 | | individuals, such as Warner Saunders (NBC 5 news anchor), | 13 | | Reginald "Hats" Adams, Maurice and Verdine White (Earth, Wind, | 14 | | and Fire), Dr. Steven Parker, Dr. Vaughn Tatum, Sonny Lumpkin | 15 | | (City College Chancellor), Cheryl Hyman, Howard Lathan, Boyse | 16 | | Edwards, Keith Jackson, Arthur Robertson (founder of the South | 17 | | Shore Drill Team), Bill Freeman, and many other notable | 18 | | leaders; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, James Adams was a recipient of numerous awards and | 20 | | accolades, including the 1998 National Jefferson | 21 | | Award/Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Public Service Award, the | 22 | | 2012 President's Volunteer Services Awards, and the 2013 | 23 | | Governor's Volunteer Award; his work will also continue through |
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| 1 | | the agency he founded in 1996, the Major Adams Community | 2 | | Committee, which will keep alive his vision of "Empowering | 3 | | Youth and Families"; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, James Adams served as a model of hard work, | 5 | | integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of | 6 | | Illinois; therefore, be it | 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 8 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 9 | | we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of | 10 | | James "Major" Adams; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of James Adams as an expression of our | 13 | | sympathy.
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