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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to honor the life and accomplishments of
4Bishop Louis Henry Ford; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Louis Ford was born on May 23, 1914 in Clarksdale,
6Mississippi; he married Margaret Little in December of 1934;
7they had 2 children, Charles and Janet; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Louis Ford founded St. Paul Church Of God in
9Christ in May of 1935; in the fall of 1941, he purchased Clarke
10House, Chicago's oldest house, on 4526 South Wabash, which
11served as St. Paul's church until 1945, when a new structure
12was built and dedicated at 4528 South Wabash; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Starting in 1935, the work of St. Paul's Church Of
14God in Christ Community Service Outreach Ministries, ably led
15by Louis Ford, was intensified; its members led the fight to
16increase minority presence on police and fire departments,
17improve housing, and create other employment opportunities; in
181955, he served as a spiritual advisor to Mamie Till Moseley,
19the mother of Emmett Till, and delivered the eulogy "Vengeance
20Is Mine" at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ; in 1966, he
21organized buses for members and community residents to attend
22the civil rights rally at Soldier Field where Dr. Martin Luther

 

 

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1King, Jr. spoke; and
 
2    WHEREAS, From 1977 to 1979, Louis Ford served as a board
3member of the Cook County Jail Department of Corrections; as a
4board member, he was a strong proponent of job training
5programs for inmates and a vocal supporter of Director Winston
6Moore; and
 
7    WHEREAS, From 1990 to 1995, Louis Ford served as Presiding
8Bishop of Church of God in Christ, Inc.; during this time, he
9was also named annually one of Ebony Magazine's 100 most
10influential African-Americans; in 1992, he invited
11then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton to address the COGIC Spring
12Meeting and Convocation in Memphis, Tennessee; in December of
131994, he was invited to stay overnight in the Lincoln Room of
14the White House as a guest of President and Mrs. Clinton; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Louis Ford passed away on March 31, 1995; in July
16of 1996, the Calumet Expressway on Interstate 94 was renamed in
17honor of him for his work in his community and society at
18large; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Louis Ford served as a model of hard work,
20integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
21Illinois; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we honor the life and accomplishments of Bishop Louis Henry
4Ford; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to the family of Louis Ford as a symbol of our esteem
7and respect.