SR1481 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1481 LRB098 22794 MST 61741 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Raymond Eugene "Gene" Suggs of Champaign, who passed away on September 19, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Gene Suggs was born on May 22, 1928 in Champaign to Roy Raymond and Claudia Mae (nee Glover) Suggs; he attended Marquette Elementary School and Champaign Junior High and High Schools, graduating in 1946; he attended Illinois State University in Normal; he was active in his community as a Boy Scout and Patrol Leader in Troop 11; in 1945, he was elected by his teammates as captain of the Champaign High School Maroons football team; he was a member of the Champaign High School basketball team that won the 1946 Illinois State championship, and, in 1990, the team was entered into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame; he married Hester Barbara Nelson in Champaign on June 20, 1948; and

WHEREAS, Gene Suggs, as a young man of 16, worked with his uncle, Eddie Glover, in the roundhouse of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway as a fire knocker; in the early 1950s, he began Suggs Plastering and Contracting and operated the business for over 25 years; he also worked with Reinhardt and Johnson Realtors as an associate; and

WHEREAS, Gene Suggs's interest in photography began as a hobby in the 1940s and blossomed into a lifetime career that spanned over 50 years; starting out as a freelance photographer, his work drew positive attention and he was hired by the Champaign-Urbana Courier as a part-time general assignment photographer in 1960, working there until the publication closed in 1979; he continued his work as a photographer, establishing Suggs Photography; over the years, he documented the visual history of organizations, clubs, sporting events, weddings, and other social activities throughout Champaign County and, most particularly, its African-American community; his photos appeared in several publications, including Ebony Magazine; and

WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, Gene Suggs was part of a group of individuals committed to improving race relations and the quality of life for the African-American population in the community, which resulted in the founding of the Champaign County Urban League; he would go on to serve on its Board of Directors and as its President for several years; he also served on the boards of the Community Foundation of Champaign County, The Don Moyers Boys' Club, and was a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the City of Champaign; for over 30 years, he served as a jury commissioner for Champaign County; and

WHEREAS, Gene Suggs was life-long member of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, serving in the past on its Board of Trustees and chairing the Building Committee for the current church, completed in 1959; he was a devoted fan of University of Illinois basketball and a founding member of the Illini Rebounders, serving as its Vice-President from 1989 to 1992; he was also a member at one time of the Champaign-Urbana Kiwanis Club and the Thursday Evening Men's Supper Club; and

WHEREAS, Gene Suggs was preceded in death by his parents; and

WHEREAS, Gene Suggs is survived by his wife, Hester; daughter, Barbara Elaine (Frederick) Mason; son, Danny Jerome (Catherine); daughter, Ramona Gay (William) Winrow; 7 grandsons, William Winrow III, Mason James Reinhart-Suggs, Justin Paul Winrow, Raymond Nelson Winrow, Frederick Eugene Kwame Mason, Ryan Daniel Suggs, and Logan Patrick Suggs; cousins, Marian Barnett Cullers and her sons, Vincent Terry Cullers and Jeffery Bryan Cullers; sisters-in-law, Eleanor Conrad, Estelle Merrifield, and Eunice Rivers; and a host of nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Raymond Eugene "Gene" Suggs, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Gene Suggs as an expression of our deepest sympathy.