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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of John Hughes, who passed away on
4September 5, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, John Hughes was born to Ernest W. Hughes Jr. and
6Sletta Estella Hughes in Princeton, New Jersey on June 21,
71951; he graduated as a Paul Robeson Scholar from Rutgers
8University in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1974; and
 
9    WHEREAS, John Hughes held a long career in public
10broadcasting; he began at the New Jersey Public Broadcasting
11Authority after college before leaving to hold executive
12positions at Georgia Public Broadcasting and WABE in Atlanta,
13Georgia; he then became a general manager for Clark Atlanta
14University's radio station, WCLK; he later relocated to become
15a program executive at Howard University's WHUT public
16television station in Washington, D.C.; he also served as
17general manager of WPFW, the Pacifica station in Washington,
18D.C.; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Most recently, John Hughes served as general
20manager of radio station KPVU, located on the campus of
21Prairie View A&M University, in Prairie View, Texas, starting
22in 2016; during his tenure, he rebranded KPVU to The Art of

 

 

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1Soul to bridge gaps between neo-soul, jazz, world music, and
2Latin music; he also helped KPVU, traditionally a jazz
3station, introduce modern R&B and hip-hop programming to its
4schedule; and
 
5    WHEREAS, John Hughes was a lifelong lover of music, with
6some of his favorite artists including Héctor Lavoe, Willie
7Colón, Gil Scott-Heron, Celia Cruz, Donny Hathaway, Grover
8Washington Jr., Nina Simone, George Benson, Stevie Wonder,
9Gregory Porter, and Paul Robeson; he loved international
10travel, food, sports, politics, Cuban art, and culture; he
11maintained decades-long friendships with his Groove Phi Groove
12brothers and his Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey
13crews; and
 
14    WHEREAS, John Hughes was known for his stunning wit, his
15soaring intelligence, his captivating storytelling, his
16infinite love for friends and family, his mischievous sense of
17adventure, and his boundless charm; he will be remembered for
18advocating for greater diversity in programming, mentoring
19students of color at historically Black colleges and
20universities, and helping to create a broadcast engineering
21program at Prairie View A&M University to increase the number
22of Black engineers in the industry; and
 
23    WHEREAS, John Hughes was preceded in death by his parents

 

 

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1and his brother, Thomas; and
 
2    WHEREAS, John Hughes is survived by his siblings, Charles
3Hughes, Douglas Hughes, Nancy Holley Hughes, Ella Noyland
4Hughes, Ernia P. Hughes, and Sletta Hughes Arobo; his
5godmother; and an extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews,
6and godchildren; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
9John Hughes and extend our sincere condolences to his family,
10friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the family of John Hughes as an expression of our
13deepest sympathy.