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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Rickey R. Hendon was born the youngest of
3four children to Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy G. Hendon of Cleveland,
4Ohio; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon grew up in Chicago and attended
6Bryant Elementary School, Mason Upper Grade Center, and
7Farragut High School; before graduation, his family moved to
8Detroit, Michigan, where he graduated as an honor student from
9Northwestern High School; and
 
10    WHEREAS, With a passion for theater and the arts, Senator
11Hendon enrolled at Omega State Institute, where he graduated
12and earned his First Class Communications license, which led
13him to a career in radio, where for eight years he worked at
14several radio stations including WVVX, WAIT, and FM 100; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was appointed the 27th Ward
16Democratic Committeeman on September 5, 1987, by the Democratic
17Central Committee after being selected by the late Mayor of
18Chicago, the Honorable Harold Washington; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was later elected the 27th Ward
20Democratic Committeeman for a full four-year term, by a
21two-to-one margin; he was re-elected Democratic Committeeman

 

 

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1in 1992; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was elected Alderman of the 27th
3Ward in 1988 and held that position until his election to the
4State Senate; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was unanimously elected to a term
6as Chairman of the Westside Black Elected Officials in April of
71988; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was appointed Secretary/Treasurer
9of the Cook County Forest Preserve by President George Dunne on
10June 6, 1988; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon's desire to become more involved in
12creating public policy led him to seek office in the General
13Assembly and he was first elected to the Illinois Senate in
14November of 1992; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has served on and led numerous
16committees during his tenure in the Senate, including the
17Senate Committees on: Appropriations, Commerce and Industry,
18Energy, Environment and Energy (Vice Chairman), Executive
19(Vice Chairman), Executive Appointments (Minority
20Spokesperson, and Co-Chairman), Financial Institutions,
21Gaming, Housing and Community Affairs, Insurance and Pensions,

 

 

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1Labor, Labor and Commerce, Licensed Activities (Minority
2Spokesperson), Local Government and Elections, Rules, and
3State Government Operations (Minority Spokesperson); and
 
4    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was the youngest African-American
5male appointed to a Senate Caucus Leadership position when he
6was named Assistant Majority Leader in 2003, a position he held
7until his retirement; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, in addition to being a published
9author, has been the sponsor and a vocal advocate of numerous
10legislative initiatives aimed at improving the lives of
11Illinois citizens; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, early in his legislative career,
13waged a successful battle to protect neighborhoods in his
14district by stopping legislative efforts to make hazardous
15dumping easier; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has always been a vocal proponent
17of making Chicago and the State of Illinois a viable location
18for film production and has served as the lead advocate for the
19State's film production tax credit, which has led to diverse
20opportunities for movie and television production throughout
21the State; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, seeing Illinois' criminal justice
2system relying on a flawed practice for administering capital
3punishment, was an early proponent of calling for its
4abolishment; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon sought to protect the
6neighborhoods of his district by advocating for youth
7intervention services and empowering residents to feel safe in
8their homes through various initiatives that fight gang
9violence and discourage drug trafficking, all the while helping
10citizens retain their civil rights and fighting the unnecessary
11intrusion of State government into the lives of its citizens;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, responding to resident
14complaints, passed legislation creating the Citizen Review
15Board to monitor activities of the Chicago Housing Authority
16Police in an effort to bring C.H.A. residents and police
17together and to stop abuse and violence in C.H.A. housing
18facilities; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has built a strong record of
20protecting children from sex offenders by making it unlawful
21for a convicted child sex offender to be within 500 feet of a
22school; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon worked diligently to give drivers a
2fair shake on Illinois roads by reforming the way the
3controversial Red Light Cameras are used to enforce traffic
4violations; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has always been a champion for
6Illinois' children, seniors, and those without a voice in
7government, ensuring access to quality schools, health care,
8and transportation, working to ensure the solvency of Illinois'
9Transit Boards, and providing advocacy for low-income seniors
10to receive assistance in obtaining reduced transportation
11fares; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has always shown his competitive
13spirit with his colleagues in the General Assembly, but never
14more so than in defense of the championship of the annual
15Senate-House softball game, where Coach Hendon has led his
16team, which he lovingly called "The House of Lords", to many
17glorious victories over the "Lower Chamber" of the General
18Assembly; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has also been the strong leader of
20his local softball team, The Fighting 5th, which competed in
21the National ASA Tournament and finished 7th out of 40 teams in
22Iowa in 2006, in addition to winning two other championships;
23and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, during his many years of public
2service, has been the recipient of numerous awards for his
3outstanding service; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Senator Rickey "Hollywood" Hendon's retirement
5from the Illinois Senate will leave an enormous hole, not to be
6filled by any one individual or voice; and while saddened by
7his departure, this chamber and its members respect his deeply
8thought out decision to indulge in the quietness of a private
9citizen and to enjoy life with his five children, friends, and
10family; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Rickey
13Hendon for his years of service to the people of Illinois and
14honor him with this resolution; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16presented to Senator Rickey Hendon as a symbol of our gratitude
17and with our best wishes for his future endeavors.