HR0972 LRB096 21433 GRL 37817 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of E. Duke
4 McNeil of Chicago, who passed away on February 21, 2010; and
 
5     WHEREAS, E. Duke McNeil was born and raised in Memphis,
6 Tennessee; he then moved to Chicago and attended the DePaul
7 School of Law; and
 
8     WHEREAS, E. Duke McNeil was motivated to earn his law
9 degree after watching the activism of Thurgood Marshall; in
10 1974, he made history in Chicago by becoming the first black
11 man to launch a campaign for the mayor's office; his candidacy
12 helped lay the groundwork for Chicago's first black mayor,
13 Harold Washington; Mr. McNeil defended the Black Panthers in
14 the 1970s and represented hundreds of criminal defendants
15 throughout his professional career; he also provided his legal
16 services to people who could not afford a lawyer and recruited
17 others to do the same; and
 
18     WHEREAS, E. Duke McNeil was a founding member of the
19 Rainbow PUSH Coalition; he walked with the Rev. Martin Luther
20 King Jr. in the fight for open housing and worked for quality
21 education for children; he also served as host of the Rainbow
22 PUSH Coalition's weekly forum for more than 20 years; and
 

 

 

HR0972 - 2 - LRB096 21433 GRL 37817 r

1     WHEREAS, E. Duke McNeil is survived by his wife, Carrie;
2 his daughters, J. Rita McNeil-Danish and Rita; and his son,
3 Stephen; therefore, be it
 
4     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
6 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of E.
7 Duke McNeil; and be it further
 
8     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9 presented to the family of E. Duke McNeil as an expression of
10 our sympathy.