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92_HR1095
LRB9217589RHrh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to express their sincerest condolences
4 to the family and friends of John Harrison Swearengen, Jr.,
5 who passed away on August 2, 2002; and
6 WHEREAS, John Harrison Swearengen, Jr., the second of
7 seven children of the Reverend John Harrison and Willie
8 Beatrice Swearengen, was born on January 4, 1931 in Memphis,
9 Tennessee; and
10 WHEREAS, Nicknames were special to Mr. Swearengen; some
11 of his nicknames included "Junior", "Kunte Kinte" (African
12 leader of a tribe), a name which was given to him by his
13 siblings after the passing of his father in 1978; other names
14 included "Peanut" and "Much Much Cool and Chilly One Chobby",
15 a name that denotes his special relationship to his nieces
16 and nephews; and
17 WHEREAS, Being the son of a minister and a very devoted
18 mother, Mr. Swearengen professed a hope in Christ and was
19 active at the First Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee;
20 along with his siblings, he was involved in Sunday School,
21 Baptist Training Union, choir, and other youth related
22 activities; and
23 WHEREAS, From 1950 to 1952, Mr. Swearengen was a member
24 of the United States Army Reserves and was called to active
25 duty along with his brother, James, and other members of the
26 community; and
27 WHEREAS, Mr. Swearengen excelled academically, graduating
28 from Douglass High School as valedictorian of his 1968 class
29 with visions of becoming a doctor; circumstances and finances
30 thwarted this vision, but that did not keep him from becoming
31 a perennial student who took enough classes for several
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1 degrees at many colleges and universities in Chicago,
2 including Northwestern University, the University of
3 Illinois, the University of Chicago, and Chicago City
4 College; and
5 WHEREAS, Never having lost his desire to serve others,
6 Mr. Swearengen redirected his focus to community service and
7 became a community activist; he worked with several noted
8 politicians and community leaders, including the Reverend
9 Jesse Jackson, Congressmen Bobby Rush, Gus Savage, and Danny
10 Davis, State Representatives Earline Collins, Richard
11 Newhouse, and Monique Davis, and Judge Timothy Evans; he
12 served as campaign manager for City Council Woman Anna R.
13 Lankford's first election to the Chicago City Council; in
14 addition, he directed the Chicago Local Political Action
15 Committee (COPE Fund) to raise funds to assist in the
16 election of U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun and served on
17 the Local School Council at Calumet High School from 1990 to
18 1991; and
19 WHEREAS, Mr. Swearengen was a dedicated employee of the
20 Chicago Post Office for over 40 years; his experience and
21 dedication were assets to the American Postal Workers Union
22 (APWU) for more than 24 years; he was one of the founders of
23 the Chicago Local and first elected president of the newly
24 merged APWU; a skilled mediator, he was the architect and
25 chief negotiator of the first local APWU contract with the
26 Postal Service; he served as Director of Labor Relations for
27 APWU, processing grievances and reinstating many employees;
28 he received letters of commendation from such people as Moe
29 Biller, president of the National APWU; and
30 WHEREAS, The passing of John Harrison Swearengen, Jr.,
31 will be deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially
32 his beloved wife of 14 years, Lavern Mitchell Swearengen; his
33 children, Sheila Swearengen Fair, John H. Swearengen, III,
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1 Kimberly Walker, and Rebecca Mitchell; his 9 grandchildren,
2 Jameta Swearengen, Anthony and Jasmin Fair, Coolythia Kyle,
3 Brianna, Serena, and Savoy Mitchell, and Terris and Genoline
4 Walker; his 4 great-grandchildren, Ja-onna, Terrel, and
5 Agape' Lyle and Anthony Fair III; his brothers, Judge James
6 E. Swearengen and Clarence Swearengen; his sisters, Mildred
7 Swearengen Hayes, the Reverend Dr. Dorothy Swearengen Strong,
8 and City Council Woman Evangelist Barbara Swearengen Holt;
9 his sisters-in-law, Catherine Swearengen, Maebell Williams,
10 Jolene Evans, Willie B. (husband, Jessie) Kitchens, Esther
11 Deans, and Charlean Powell; his brothers-in-law, Eddie Hayes,
12 Joseph Strong, James Earl and Michael Mitchell, and Anane'
13 Nigritia; his aunt, Lucile Hawkins; his nephews; his nieces;
14 his postal union family; and a host of relatives and friends;
15 therefore, be it
16 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18 we mourn, along with all who knew him, the death of John
19 Harrison Swearengen, Jr. of Chicago; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21 presented to the family of John Harrison Swearengen, Jr.,
22 with our sincere condolences.