HR1273 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1273 LRB097 23151 GRL 71972 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Edna Mae Smith on the occasion of her 100th birthday on September 27, 2012; and

WHEREAS, Edna Mae Smith was born on September 27, 1912, in Hope, Arkansas; her parents are Elvesta and Jolly Johnson; she married Claude Smith in 1931; and

WHEREAS, Edna Mae Smith was raised on Dewitt Plantation; since the age of 11, she was employed as a day work, making roughly $5 a day; she continued in that line of employment, working in various homes in Lake Forest, Highland Park and Waukegan until she fell ill; and

WHEREAS, On March 25, 1947, Edna Mae Smith and her husband moved to Waukegan to join her sibling, Myrtle Wilkins, who attended Shiloh Baptist Church; Edna Mae and Claude both joined the church 4 days later; she subsequently became an usher, and later a Deaconess, at the church; she has also attended many National Conventions throughout the United States and held various other positions with the church, including 2nd Vice-President and President of the Shiloh Usher Board; and

WHEREAS, Edna Mae Smith was once part of a 5-member religious singing group; the group performed at various churches in Hope and Stuttgart, Arkansas; and

WHEREAS, Edna Mae Smith serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Edna Mae Smith on the occasion of her 100th birthday and wish her many happy and healthy years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Edna Mae Smith as a symbol of our esteem and respect.