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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Evelyn Alexander of North Chicago, who
4passed away on May 14, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander was born to Milton P. Harrison
6and Bessie Mae Harrison in Evanston on November 1, 1936; she
7was educated in the Evanston public school system; she
8graduated with honors from Evanston Township High School in
91954; she married Benjamin F. Alexander Jr. in 1956; and
 
10    WHEREAS, When Evelyn Alexander's children were young, she
11accepted a position as a dispatcher with the North Chicago
12Police Department; she was quickly promoted to Health
13Commissioner and Emergency Services Disaster Agency
14Coordinator by the late Mayor Leo F. Kukla; she retired as
15Chief of Staff to Mayor Bobby E. Thompson in 1997 after 27
16years of service; soon after her retirement, she joined the
17office of her long-time friend, State Senator Terry Link; she
18served as Senator Link's Legislative Aide for 14 years before
19retiring again in 2011; at the start of her career, she was
20employed at what was then known as the Downey Veterans'
21Administration; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander volunteered with and held

 

 

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1leadership positions in numerous organizations; she was a past
2president of the North Chicago Rotary Club, past vice
3president of Partners in Progress, and a founding member of
4the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County; she also served as
5Chairman of the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension
6Council; she was the driving force behind the "First Tee" of
7Lake County program, which brought golf to young people in
8North Chicago and throughout the county, and was very active
9with Big Brother/Big Sisters; her longest volunteer service
10was as a member of the College of Lake County Lakeshore Campus
11Advisory Board where she served for more than 35 years; she was
12a member of the North Chicago Housing Authority, which was one
13of her favorite appointments, and was also very active with
14Eureka Temple #1172; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander was a champion for children in
16North Chicago; while her children were in school, she often
17volunteered as a chaperone for field trips and sports events;
18she invested more than 60 years of her time to ensure that
19children in North Chicago were afforded an opportunity to
20receive an excellent education; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander is the only resident to be
22appointed and/or elected to every school board district in the
23history of the City of North Chicago; she never lost a school
24board election while serving on Grade School District 63,

 

 

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1Grade School Districts 64, High School District 123, and North
2Chicago Community Unit District 187; on June 19, 2012, the
3State Board of Education appointed Evelyn as a member of the
4Independent Authority for North Chicago Unit School District
5187; and
 
6    WHEREAS, As a result of Evelyn Alexander's commitment to
7education and her longevity as a volunteer, North Elementary
8School was renamed Evelyn Alexander Elementary School in her
9honor; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander attended First Corinthian
11Missionary Baptist church for several years before she
12officially became a member in 1968; she enjoyed supporting and
13partaking in church events, especially the grand teas
14sponsored by the Mission Ministry; one of her proudest moments
15of service was serving on the Pastor's Search Committee; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander has received numerous awards and
17accolades throughout the years; she has been selected as an
18Outstanding School Board Member, a State of Illinois
19Outstanding ESDA Director, the First Corinthian Missionary
20Baptist Church Senior of the Year, and the U of I Mother of the
21year; she has also received several citations from federal,
22state, and local entities, including the YWCA Women of
23Achievement Award for Public Service, the Lake County Forest

 

 

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1Preserve "Doing Good in the Hood" award, and the People's
2Voice Lifetime Achievement Award, and was inducted into the
3City of North Chicago Hall of Fame; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander was preceded in death by her
5parents; her sisters, Juanita Wimberly, Vera Mae Spears, and
6Barbara Jean Harrison; and her niece, Evelyn Wimberly; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Evelyn Alexander is survived by her four
8children, Cynthia (Michael) Jackson, Cheryl Alexander,
9Christina (David) Jones, and Benjamin Alexander III; her eight
10grandchildren, Brittany Alexander, Benjamin Alexander IV,
11Sheraton Jones, Avery Jones, Michael (Tristy) Jackson,
12Jonathan Jackson, Trenisa Jackson, and Nicole Wimberly; her
13nine great-grandchildren; her brother, Milton Harrison; her
14sister-in-law, Hellen Russell; her cousins; her host of nieces
15and nephews; and her friends, including her special friends,
16Velma Dicker, Judy Keener, and Dora King; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
19Evelyn Alexander and extend our sincere condolences to her
20family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
21further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the family of Evelyn Alexander as an expression
2of our deepest sympathy.