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| | SR0136 | | LRB104 12476 ECR 22809 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 Kenneth Ray Ford, who passed away on |
| 4 | | February 14, 2025; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Ford was born to James "Partner" Ford and |
| 6 | | Edna Bennett in Tamms; he attended Blane Elementary School |
| 7 | | while supplementing his family's income by working a number of |
| 8 | | jobs, including plowing fields and harvesting fruit; he |
| 9 | | graduated from Lovejoy High School and moved to Chicago; he |
| 10 | | served in the U.S. Army, through which he traveled throughout |
| 11 | | Europe; he then began an apprenticeship at the Central Shops |
| 12 | | of the University of Chicago, working under the tutelage of |
| 13 | | several physicists who contributed to the Manhattan Project; |
| 14 | | and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Ford worked as a machinist who designed |
| 16 | | and made tools for scientific purposes, including several |
| 17 | | instruments sent on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon; he also |
| 18 | | served as a union steward, and he was elected as the first |
| 19 | | African American business representative for the International |
| 20 | | Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO in |
| 21 | | the 1980s, remaining in this position until he retired; and
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| 22 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Ford committed to his faith later in |
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| 1 | | life, and he enjoyed golfing, improving his culinary skills, |
| 2 | | traveling, gardening, and attending family gatherings; and
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| 3 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Ford was a lifelong believer in the |
| 4 | | importance of fairness and justice; he will be remembered for |
| 5 | | his quick wit, boisterous laughter, and sharp humor; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Ford was preceded in death by his |
| 7 | | children, Patricia Foggs and Richard Grundy; his grandson, |
| 8 | | Aaron Ford; and his siblings, Marie Jackson, Wendell Ford, |
| 9 | | Sandra Jones, and Marian Venson; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, Kenneth Ford is survived by his wife, Flo; his |
| 11 | | children, Kenneth Ray (Shirley) Grundy, Cynthia Denise Ford, |
| 12 | | Joy (Bernard) Manley, and Angela (William) Ford-Heath; his |
| 13 | | siblings, Ramona Moore, Ursula (Gerald) Jenkins, and Dana |
| 14 | | Ford; and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, |
| 15 | | nieces, nephews, and friends; therefore, be it
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| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL |
| 17 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of |
| 18 | | Kenneth Ray Ford and extend our sincere condolences to his |
| 19 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it |
| 20 | | further
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| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |