SR0456LRB101 12623 MST 61085 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Roberta "Bobbie" Raymond on May 7, 2019
4at the age of 80; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was born on November 16, 1938 in
6Oak Park to William and Rosemary Wolin; she was a lifelong
7resident of Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park and River
8Forest High School in 1955; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond worked as a child actor in Chicago
10from 1945 to 1952, later using the stage name Roberta Alden
11when she appeared in NBC Radio shows, Jack Armstrong, the
12All-American Boy, and Cricket on the Hearth; she also did
13commercials, trade shows, and television and had a lead role in
14the pre-Broadway cast of Tender Loving Care in 1960; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond studied sociology at Drake
16University, studied racial integration and the fair housing
17movement at Hunter College, and earned a master's degree with
18honors from Roosevelt University, where she wrote her sociology
19thesis on Oak Park and the challenge to achieving long-term
20racial diversity and integration; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was a foundational figure in Oak

 

 

SR0456- 2 -LRB101 12623 MST 61085 r

1Park's long experiment in racial integration; she ultimately
2earned the reputation of being Oak Park's fiercest advocate,
3leaving behind an enormous legacy of activism and lifelong
4dedication to public service for the Oak Park community; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond is described as an agent of social
6change within Oak Park's wall of fame biography; she joined the
7Oak Park Citizens Committee for Human Rights as she began her
8activism in fair housing and then started the Oak Park Housing
9Center in 1972, a nonprofit focused on maintaining racial
10integration, where she served as executive director for 26
11years until retiring in 1996; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was featured in the documentary, As
13Time Goes By: Oak Park, Illinois, which premiered at the Lake
14Theatre in 1974 and was later shown on WTTW; she wrote the
15winning presentation script for Oak Park's All-America City
16Award in 1976, was featured on CBS 60 Minutes in 1978, and
17appeared on the last Phil Donahue Show; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond, as part of her work at the Housing
19Center, helped to found the influential Oak Park Exchange
20Congress, which gathered like-minded communities from around
21America to share best practices on integration efforts; she
22also helped to create Oak Park's A Day in Our Village community
23celebration, collaborated with the Austin Shock Historical

 

 

SR0456- 3 -LRB101 12623 MST 61085 r

1Association to create a house walk in the Austin neighborhood,
2and organized the Boulevard Run, a 10K race running through Oak
3Park and Austin, including Columbus Park; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond, after her retirement from the
5Housing Center, served on the boards of the Oak Park
6Development Corporation, the Doris Humphrey Foundation, the
7Ernest Hemingway Foundation, and the Oak Park Art League; she
8pursued her many other interests, including painting,
9gardening, play writing, and traveling, including to Door
10County, Wisconsin; she was a longtime member of the Oak Park
11River Forest Garden Club, founded a French Club conversation
12class, and helped to found the First Tuesday Club, which
13brought independent and art films to the Lake Theatre; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was instrumental in the rebirth of
15the Oak Park River Forest High School Alumni Association and
16took great pride in its efforts to fund life-changing summer
17learning and travel experiences for high school students who
18were unlikely to have such opportunities; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was the originator of Oak Park's
20first paper recycling program and counted among her many honors
21are the Ulyssean, the Athena, the Eleanor Roosevelt
22Humanitarian, and the Studs Terkel Awards; and
 

 

 

SR0456- 4 -LRB101 12623 MST 61085 r

1    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond was deeply devoted to her son,
2Charles, and loved spending time with her grandson, Trevor,
3making crepes together, playing scrabble, and sharing with him
4her love of the arts; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bobbie Raymond is survived by her husband, Richard
6Gustavus Larson; her son, Charles D. Raymond and
7daughter-in-law, Christi Ausland-Raymond; her former husband,
8Geoffrey Raymond; and her grandson, Trevor William Raymond;
9therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
11ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
12Roberta "Bobbie" Raymond and extend our sincere condolences to
13her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
14further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16presented to the family of Bobbie Raymond as an expression of
17our deepest sympathy.