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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Willye B.
4 White of Chicago, the first American to compete in five
5 Olympics, who passed away on February 6, 2007; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Willye White was born December 31, 1939, in Money,
7 Mississippi, and was raised by her grandparents; she picked
8 cotton to help her family earn money, while at the same time
9 competing in sports; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Willye B. White competed in five consecutive
11 Olympics from 1956 to 1972; in 1956 she was a 16-year old high
12 school sophomore at her first Olympics in Melbourne, Australia
13 when she won a silver medal in the long jump; it marked the
14 first time a woman from the United States won a medal in that
15 event; she won another silver medal as part of the team in the
16 4 X 100 meter relay in 1964 in Tokyo; and
 
17     WHEREAS, She was a member of more than 30 international
18 track and field teams and won a dozen Amateur Athletic Union
19 long jump titles in her career; and
 
20     WHEREAS, She founded the Willye White Foundation to help
21 children and helped raise money for the underprivileged; she

 

 

HR0122 - 2 - LRB095 11150 KXB 31497 r

1 was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame, in
2 addition to ten other hall of fame inductions; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Willye White coached, lectured, and served as
4 president of the Midwest chapter of the U.S. Olympians for 12
5 years after her athletic career ended; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Willye White is survived by her brother and her
7 sister; therefore, be it
 
8     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
10 mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of Willye
11 B. White; and be it further
 
12     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to the family of Willye B. White as a symbol of our
14 respect and sympathy.