093_HR0322

                                     LRB093 11871 RAH 16121 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members of the House of  Representatives  of
 3    the  State of Illinois were saddened to learn of the death of
 4    Carol L. Fitzgerald on Sunday, April 10, 2003; and

 5        WHEREAS, Carol L. Fitzgerald was  born  in  New  Orleans,
 6    Louisiana  on  January 1, 1956, the third child of Dr. Robert
 7    and Mercedes Johnson; at an early age, her  family  moved  to
 8    Chicago,  Illinois  where  she  attended  Higgins  and  Shoop
 9    Elementary Schools and graduated from Fenger High School;

10        WHEREAS,   After   moving  to  Chicago,  Mrs.  Fitzgerald
11    accepted Christ at  Mt.  Calvary  Baptist  Church  where  she
12    married Larry Fitzgerald on September 29, 1979; and

13    WHEREAS,  She received an Associate of Arts Degree in Pre-Law
14    from  Olive-Harvey  Junior  College   and   attended   DePaul
15    University in Chicago; in 1979, Carol and her husband, Larry,
16    moved  to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  where  they welcomed the
17    birth of their sons, Larry Jr., born on August 31,  1983  and
18    Marcus,  born  on  July  1,  1985;  they  are  members of New
19    Beginnings Baptist Tabernacle; and

20        WHEREAS, Mrs. Fitzgerald began her career in Minnesota at
21    Blue Cross Blue Shield; she began her career  in  the  health
22    field  as  an  outreach  worker  for  Turning  Point Chemical
23    Dependency Treatment Program educating  people  at  risk  for
24    acquiring HIV and STDs due to drug use behavior; in 1992, she
25    began working for the Minnesota Department of Health reaching
26    out  to  communities  of  color  to educate women about early
27    detection of breast and cervical cancer; that same  year  she
28    became  a Disease Intervention Specialist working with people
29    newly diagnosed with HIV  or  STDs  providing  counseling  to
30    reduce  reinfection,  referral  to treatment, and identifying
31    and notifying partners; and
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11871 RAH 16121 r
 1        WHEREAS, She became dedicated to eliminating  the  spread
 2    of  HIV/AIDS  in the African-American community; in 1989, she
 3    began befriending African Americans with HIV/AIDS and  acting
 4    as a "soul mate" or buddy by helping them with physical needs
 5    and providing emotional and spiritual support; and

 6        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Fitzgerald was co-founder and served as a
 7    volunteer caregiver with the Circle  of  Love  support  group
 8    through the Minneapolis Urban League; she was involved in the
 9    AIDS  ministry  at  her  church and was a board member of the
10    AIDS Interfaith Council; she served as a volunteer  at  Agape
11    House and as a board member of the Minnesota AIDS Project; in
12    1994,  she  was  the  founding member of the African-American
13    AIDS  Task  Force  and  facilitated  Sistas  Healing   Sistas
14    HIV/AIDS  support  group;  as  a certified Red Cross HIV/AIDS
15    Instructor,  she  volunteered  to  present   HIV   prevention
16    workshops;  she  was a member of the community advisory board
17    of  the  AIDS  Clinical  Trial  Unit  at  the  University  of
18    Minnesota and served as a member of the Minnesota  Department
19    of Health's HIV Planning Council; and

20        WHEREAS,  She  was  instrumental  in raising the issue of
21    HIV/AIDS within the Twin  Cities  African-American  community
22    and  contributed  to  strengthening the network of prevention
23    and service organizations and their staffs through  mentoring
24    and  providing  support; when Carol was diagnosed with breast
25    cancer in 1997, she became  active  in  the  African-American
26    Breast Cancer Alliance; this past year, she recorded a breast
27    cancer awareness video with her friend Melanie Williams which
28    aired on a local television station; and

29        WHEREAS,  Mrs.  Fitzgerald  received the following awards
30    and  honors:  the  Minnesota  Communities  of  Color   Health
31    Leadership Award(2000), a Certificate of Achievement from the
32    City   Inc.   HIV/STD   Prevention  &  Awareness  Program,  a
33    Certificate  of  Appreciation  from  the  Minneapolis   Urban
 
                            -3-      LRB093 11871 RAH 16121 r
 1    League's  Circle  of  Love  Program, and the Leadership Award
 2    from the Twin Cities  United  Negro  College  Fund  2000  9th
 3    Annual Walk-A-Thon; and

 4        WHEREAS,  The  passing of Carol Fitzgerald will be deeply
 5    felt by all who knew her, especially by  her  husband,  Larry
 6    Sr.;  her sons, Larry Jr. and Marcus; her parents, Dr. Robert
 7    and Mercedes Johnson; her sister and brother-in-law,  Valerie
 8    and  Norman  Thomas  Sr.  and  their children, Norman Jr. and
 9    Gabrielle; her sister and brother-in-law, Dr.  Stephanie  and
10    Perry  Brown  and  their  children,  Crystal  and Robert; her
11    brother, Robert Johnson Jr.; her sister  and  brother-in-law,
12    Kimberly  and  Byron  Henry;  her  sister and brother-in-law,
13    Paula and Samuel Jones II and  their  children,  Samuel  III,
14    Candice,   Jasmine,   and   Kyle;   her   father-in-law   and
15    mother-in-law,   Robert   and   Sally   Fitzgerald  Sr.,  her
16    brother-in-law, Robert  Fitzgerald  Jr.;  her  sister-in-law,
17    Marilyn  Fitzgerald;  her brother-in-law, Michael Fitzgerald;
18    her brother and sister-in-law, Ephriam  and  Cren  Fitzgerald
19    and  their  daughter,  Erin;  her cousin, Tony Pinder and his
20    wife, Vickie; her  nephew,  Jason  Jenkins;  and  a  host  of
21    additional relatives and friends; therefore, be it

22        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
23    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
24    we  mourn  the passing of Carol L. Fitzgerald and express our
25    sincere and deepest sympathy to her family and  friends;  and
26    be it further

27        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
28    presented  to  the  family  of  Carol  L.  Fitzgerald  as  an
29    expression  of  our  condolences   during   their   time   of
30    bereavement.