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| | SR1263 | | LRB102 20463 LAW 29324 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened |
| 3 | | to learn of the death of Marion Louise "Penny" Sullivan Smith, |
| 4 | | who passed away on September 15, 2021; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was born to the union of Roosevelt |
| 6 | | Pluitt and Ethel Sullivan in Chicago on September 15, 1933; |
| 7 | | she was raised in what is now known as the Bronzeville area of |
| 8 | | Chicago; she graduated from DuSable High School; and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was pursued by several modeling |
| 10 | | agencies and considered law school after high school; however, |
| 11 | | her love for family led her to begin a family of her own; and
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| 12 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was a hard worker with many talents; |
| 13 | | she could sew and construct anything; her home was always |
| 14 | | known as a showplace to all who visited; she will be remembered |
| 15 | | for being a strong family person who loved everyone and |
| 16 | | everyone loved; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was the oldest living heir to one of |
| 18 | | America's heroic narratives; her grandmother, Carrie Williams, |
| 19 | | was the first in U.S. history to file a lawsuit for the rights |
| 20 | | of colored school teachers for equal pay in 1898; her case was |
| 21 | | ultimately heard before the West Virginia Supreme Court, which |
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| | SR1263 | - 2 - | LRB102 20463 LAW 29324 r |
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| 1 | | ruled in her favor during the Jim Crow Era, bolstering equal |
| 2 | | education rights for African American students statewide; her |
| 3 | | legacy was noted by President Barack Obama in a letter to the |
| 4 | | family, where he thanked the Smith family for Carrie Williams' |
| 5 | | contributions, which paved the way for others; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith was preceded in death by her |
| 7 | | siblings, Roosevelt Pluitt Jr., Ethel, Dorothy, Charles, |
| 8 | | Constance, and Othello; she was also preceded in death by |
| 9 | | three children, Lolita Smith-Oliver, Michael Smith, and Freddy |
| 10 | | Smith; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, Marion Smith is survived by her children, Fred |
| 12 | | (Leonette) Smith, Sharon A. (Lee) Taylor, Hakeem A. (Avonda) |
| 13 | | Muhammad, and Andre (LaZondra) Smith; her grandchildren; her |
| 14 | | great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, |
| 15 | | and friends; therefore, be it
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| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL |
| 17 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 18 | | Marion Louise "Penny" Sullivan Smith and extend our sincere |
| 19 | | condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved |
| 20 | | her; and be it further
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| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 22 | | presented to the family of Marion Smith as an expression of our |