Full Text of HR0705 96th General Assembly
HR0705 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of
Lester | 4 |
| Thomas Pritchard of Urbana, who passed away on October 12, | 5 |
| 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard was born on September 25, 1949, | 7 |
| in Galesburg; he was the son of William and Barbara Bauer | 8 |
| Pritchard; he married Barbara Cotter on November 17, 1990, in | 9 |
| Urbana; and
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| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard graduated from the University of | 11 |
| Illinois and was a disability rights activist on the local, | 12 |
| State, and federal levels; he began his lifetime of activism in | 13 |
| his hometown of Galesburg, where his family ran a local | 14 |
| newspaper; while in Galesburg, he championed efforts to make | 15 |
| local businesses accessible and cut sidewalk curbs to street | 16 |
| level; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard's involvement in disability | 18 |
| issues began on the day he was born and diagnosed with cerebral | 19 |
| palsy, a point from which he experienced firsthand the struggle | 20 |
| for equality, dignity, and access; he devoted the past 30-plus | 21 |
| years as an advocate for independence, equal rights, and | 22 |
| opportunities for people with disabilities; he saw Illinois' |
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| disability rights movement as a modern civil rights battle, a | 2 |
| vision that propelled him to create the Campaign for Real | 3 |
| Choice in Illinois, which seeks to advance the rights and | 4 |
| independence of people with disabilities so that they can | 5 |
| choose the lives they wish to lead; and
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| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard spent nearly as much time | 7 |
| rallying legislators in Springfield for a better system and | 8 |
| increased opportunities for people with developmental | 9 |
| disabilities as he did in his hometown of Urbana; in Urbana, he | 10 |
| helped pass a landmark ordinance requiring that homes built | 11 |
| with city money be accessible to people with disabilities; he | 12 |
| was also instrumental in the closing of the Howe Developmental | 13 |
| Center in Tinley Park, advocating tirelessly for years to close | 14 |
| the institution so its residents could have access to better | 15 |
| living conditions; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, Of the countless advocacy efforts Lester | 17 |
| Pritchard led and the thousands of petitions he organized, each | 18 |
| was committed to expanding access to community living options | 19 |
| and empowering people with developmental disabilities; his | 20 |
| work was instrumental in keeping the Lincoln Developmental | 21 |
| Center closed; and | 22 |
| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard was appointed by Governor George | 23 |
| Ryan to the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities in |
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| 1999; in 2004, Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed him to serve | 2 |
| as Chairperson of the Council; as Chairperson of the Council, | 3 |
| Mr. Pritchard spearheaded research studies and moved the | 4 |
| Council toward a more central role in the development of | 5 |
| progressive services for people with developmental | 6 |
| disabilities; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard was regarded by many as a true | 8 |
| visionary; he saw a society that fully accepted and included | 9 |
| people with disabilities and he worked every day of his life to | 10 |
| make that vision a reality; never shying away from adversity, | 11 |
| he empowered hundreds of people with disabilities to map out | 12 |
| their goals, become contributing members of society, and find | 13 |
| fulfillment in life during his lifetime of advocacy; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard served as Vice-Chair on the Board | 15 |
| of Champaign County Healthcare Consumers; he was a board member | 16 |
| and board chair for P.A.C.E.; he served as a member of the | 17 |
| Urbana Human Relations Commission for 16 years; he was a | 18 |
| founding member of Citizens for HOMES, a group that advocates | 19 |
| for fair and equal housing options for people with disabilities | 20 |
| in Champaign-Urbana; he served as Chairperson of the Illinois | 21 |
| Accessible Affordable Housing Task Force; he was also a member | 22 |
| of the Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois and | 23 |
| the Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing; and |
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| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard was the recipient of numerous | 2 |
| awards in recognition of his lifetime of dedicated service; he | 3 |
| was the recipient of the 2008 American Bar Association's Paul | 4 |
| G. Hearne Award for Disability Rights; he was given the 2007 | 5 |
| James R. Burgess Sr. Humanitarian Award for furthering civil | 6 |
| rights from the Champaign County Board; he was the recipient of | 7 |
| the 2004 Illinois Justin Dart Distinguished Citizen Award from | 8 |
| the Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities; he was also the | 9 |
| recipient of the Edward T. Roberts Excellence in Independent | 10 |
| Living Award from the Illinois Network of Centers for | 11 |
| Independent Living; and | 12 |
| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard was preceded in death by his | 13 |
| parents; and
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| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard is survived by his wife, Barbara; | 15 |
| his sister, Sarah (David) Nielsen; his brothers, Bill | 16 |
| (Jennifer) Pritchard and John (Jane) Pritchard; his | 17 |
| stepbrother, Christopher (Regina) Pritchard; and his many | 18 |
| nieces and nephews; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, Lester Pritchard will be remembered by all who | 20 |
| knew and loved him as a stalwart advocate for the equal rights | 21 |
| of people with disabilities whose dedication and integrity were | 22 |
| unmatched; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 2 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 3 |
| mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Lester | 4 |
| Thomas Pritchard; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 |
| presented to the family of Lester Pritchard as an expression of | 7 |
| our sympathy.
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