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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 learned with regret of the death of Edward Leroy Buckney on
4 Friday, April 1, 2005; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Born in Keokuk, Iowa, on February 28, 1929,
6 Commander Edward L. Buckney graduated from Keokuk Senior High
7 School in 1947 with honors; his high school days were replete
8 with extra curricular activities; he later attended Iowa
9 Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and majored in social
10 science and physical education; he received a bachelor's degree
11 in communication arts from Columbia College in Chicago and a
12 master's degree in public administration from the Illinois
13 Institute of Technology; and
 
14     WHEREAS, He valiantly served his country as a member of the
15 U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953; he attained the rank of corporal
16 and served in the Korean War as a member of the 568th Medical
17 Ambulance Company; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Commander Buckney had a long and distinguished
19 career in law enforcement; appointed to the Chicago Police
20 Department on June 16, 1954, he became the first
21 African-American officer to be permanently assigned to State
22 Street (the intersection of State and Madison) at what was then
23 called "the world's busiest corner"; in January of 1959, he
24 transferred to the old 11th District, and in May of 1960, he
25 was appointed sergeant, becoming the first African American to
26 be assigned to the Superintendent's office; though he was not a
27 lawyer, he was assigned to the Training Division in 1961, where
28 he taught criminal law for four years; and
 
29     WHEREAS, His outstanding career in law enforcement
30 includes: Sergeant (1963); Lieutenant (1965); Commanding
31 Officer of Task Force Area 1 (1965); Commanding Officer -

 

 

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1 Detective Division (1966); and Commanding Officer of the Gang
2 Intelligence Unit (March 1967), where he was cited for
3 "Outstanding Community Service" and phenomenal efforts in
4 fighting Chicago's gang problem; his work attracted the
5 attention of local and national news organizations giving
6 Chicago and the nation an unprecedented view of the
7 inner-workings of urban gangs; he served as Captain of Police
8 (1968), District Commander (1975), Assistant Deputy
9 Superintendent of Field Operations, and Director of the Chicago
10 Police Training Academy (1983 to 1988); and
 
11     WHEREAS, Commander Buckney later joined the Oak Park Police
12 Department as Deputy Chief, where he became the first
13 African-American supervisor in the department's history; he
14 retired in 1993 and enjoyed his passions - bowling, traveling,
15 golf, and spending time with his family; he was a member of the
16 Chatham Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Chicago for more than
17 40 years; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The passing of Commander Edward Leroy Buckney has
19 been deeply felt by many, especially his wife of 27 years, Dr.
20 Cozette Buckney; his sister-in-law, Alberta Turner Kelley
21 (James); his nieces, Erica and Brittany; his nephew, Richard;
22 and his many other relatives and friends; therefore, be it
 
23     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL
24 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
25 Edward Leroy Buckney, and we extend our deepest sympathy to his
26 family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
27 further
 
28     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to his family as an expression of our sincerest
30 condolences during their time of bereavement.