HR0667 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0667 LRB101 17498 ECR 66909 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Barbara O'Connor of Hyde Park, who passed away on January 12, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor was born in Chicago; she attended Catholic high school, Loyola University, and what is today St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor moved to the Hyde Park neighborhood in 1957; by 1960, she was a block director of the Hyde Park Community Conference (HPKCC), which formed to quell panic about the neighborhood's racial integration; and

WHEREAS, As fears of integration tampered, Barbara O'Connor campaigned for the focus of the HPKCC to turn towards raising funds for community projects and pilot programs aimed at improving the quality of urban life; this included successfully campaigning for the building of a new cultural center in the neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor's community involvement included the Catholic Interracial Council, the Harper Court Foundation, and the Illinois Commission on Human Rights, where she worked as a consultant; she was also a member of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor became involved in campaign work as a teenager when she worked on Adlai Stevenson's gubernatorial campaign in 1948; she also worked on Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's mayoral campaign in 1983 and President Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor worked for both U.S. Representative Abner Mikva's and Governor Dan Walker's administrations in the 1970s; she worked for Mayor Washington's administration as telecommunications manager in the 1980s; during this time, she also worked for the Chicago Access Corporation; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor left city government in 1988; she then worked in former Cook County Clerk David Orr's elections department, taking a particular interest in voter registration and outreach; and

WHEREAS, Barbara O'Connor was an avid gardener, growing corn, eggplants, melons, tomatoes, and lettuce while living in her third-story apartment; she worked as the head of the herb department for the HPKCC Garden Fair for decades; she also enjoyed knitting and photography; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Barbara O'Connor and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Barbara O'Connor as an expression of our deepest sympathy.