SR0107 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0107 LRB097 11109 KXB 52374 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Senator Rickey R. Hendon was born the youngest of four children to Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy G. Hendon of Cleveland, Ohio; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon grew up in Chicago and attended Bryant Elementary School, Mason Upper Grade Center, and Farragut High School; before graduation, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he graduated as an honor student from Northwestern High School; and

WHEREAS, With a passion for theater and the arts, Senator Hendon enrolled at Omega State Institute, where he graduated and earned his First Class Communications license, which led him to a career in radio, where for eight years he worked at several radio stations including WVVX, WAIT, and FM 100; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was appointed the 27th Ward Democratic Committeeman on September 5, 1987, by the Democratic Central Committee after being selected by the late Mayor of Chicago, the Honorable Harold Washington; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was later elected the 27th Ward Democratic Committeeman for a full four-year term, by a two-to-one margin; he was re-elected Democratic Committeeman in 1992; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was elected Alderman of the 27th Ward in 1988 and held that position until his election to the State Senate; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was unanimously elected to a term as Chairman of the Westside Black Elected Officials in April of 1988; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was appointed Secretary/Treasurer of the Cook County Forest Preserve by President George Dunne on June 6, 1988; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon's desire to become more involved in creating public policy led him to seek office in the General Assembly and he was first elected to the Illinois Senate in November of 1992; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has served on and led numerous committees during his tenure in the Senate, including the Senate Committees on: Appropriations, Commerce and Industry, Energy, Environment and Energy (Vice Chairman), Executive (Vice Chairman), Executive Appointments (Minority Spokesperson, and Co-Chairman), Financial Institutions, Gaming, Housing and Community Affairs, Insurance and Pensions, Labor, Labor and Commerce, Licensed Activities (Minority Spokesperson), Local Government and Elections, Rules, and State Government Operations (Minority Spokesperson); and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon was the youngest African-American male appointed to a Senate Caucus Leadership position when he was named Assistant Majority Leader in 2003, a position he held until his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, in addition to being a published author, has been the sponsor and a vocal advocate of numerous legislative initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Illinois citizens; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, early in his legislative career, waged a successful battle to protect neighborhoods in his district by stopping legislative efforts to make hazardous dumping easier; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has always been a vocal proponent of making Chicago and the State of Illinois a viable location for film production and has served as the lead advocate for the State's film production tax credit, which has led to diverse opportunities for movie and television production throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, seeing Illinois' criminal justice system relying on a flawed practice for administering capital punishment, was an early proponent of calling for its abolishment; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon sought to protect the neighborhoods of his district by advocating for youth intervention services and empowering residents to feel safe in their homes through various initiatives that fight gang violence and discourage drug trafficking, all the while helping citizens retain their civil rights and fighting the unnecessary intrusion of State government into the lives of its citizens; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, responding to resident complaints, passed legislation creating the Citizen Review Board to monitor activities of the Chicago Housing Authority Police in an effort to bring C.H.A. residents and police together and to stop abuse and violence in C.H.A. housing facilities; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has built a strong record of protecting children from sex offenders by making it unlawful for a convicted child sex offender to be within 500 feet of a school; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon worked diligently to give drivers a fair shake on Illinois roads by reforming the way the controversial Red Light Cameras are used to enforce traffic violations; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has always been a champion for Illinois' children, seniors, and those without a voice in government, ensuring access to quality schools, health care, and transportation, working to ensure the solvency of Illinois' Transit Boards, and providing advocacy for low-income seniors to receive assistance in obtaining reduced transportation fares; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has always shown his competitive spirit with his colleagues in the General Assembly, but never more so than in defense of the championship of the annual Senate-House softball game, where Coach Hendon has led his team, which he lovingly called "The House of Lords", to many glorious victories over the "Lower Chamber" of the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon has also been the strong leader of his local softball team, The Fighting 5th, which competed in the National ASA Tournament and finished 7th out of 40 teams in Iowa in 2006, in addition to winning two other championships; and

WHEREAS, Senator Hendon, during his many years of public service, has been the recipient of numerous awards for his outstanding service; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rickey "Hollywood" Hendon's retirement from the Illinois Senate will leave an enormous hole, not to be filled by any one individual or voice; and while saddened by his departure, this chamber and its members respect his deeply thought out decision to indulge in the quietness of a private citizen and to enjoy life with his five children, friends, and family; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Rickey Hendon for his years of service to the people of Illinois and honor him with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Rickey Hendon as a symbol of our gratitude and with our best wishes for his future endeavors.