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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, State Representative Monique Davis and the
3 members of the Illinois House of Representatives learned with
4 sadness of the death of Dr. Mary Elizabeth Henderson Wright on
5 October 15, 2005; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The former Mary Elizabeth Henderson was born on
7 May 26, 1916 in Surry County, Virginia, the last of seven
8 children of the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton M. Henderson; in
9 June, 1938, she married her college sweetheart, the Reverend
10 Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright; and
 
11     WHEREAS, She graduated high school at fifteen years of age
12 and graduated from Virginia Union University magna cum laude,
13 with degrees in mathematics and English; in 1949, she earned a
14 Master of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of
15 Pennsylvania; during the 1958-59 school year, Mrs. Wright was
16 on a sabbatical study leave as a National Science Fellow in the
17 Graduate School of Education of the University of Pennsylvania
18 where she earned a Master of Science degree in education; she
19 went on to earn a Doctor of Education degree from the
20 University of Pennsylvania in 1971; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Dr. Wright had a distinguished 34-year career in
22 the Philadelphia public schools; she taught mathematics for
23 nine years at Sulzberger Junior High School; she was later
24 appointed to teach mathematics at William Penn High School; in
25 addition, she was the first African-American teacher at
26 Roosevelt Junior High School, Germantown High School, and
27 Philadelphia High School for Girls; Dr. Wright was appointed
28 Vice Principal of the Philadelphia High School for Girls in
29 1968 and remained in that position until her retirement in
30 1978; and
 
31     WHEREAS, Dr. Wright had an active civic life; she was

 

 

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1 involved with the Germantown YMCA, the NAACP, LaSalle
2 University, and many other civic organizations; she received
3 many achievement awards, outstanding service awards, and other
4 awards and honors throughout the years from the many groups she
5 served; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Church and religion were very important to Dr.
7 Wright; She was active in the life of the Grace Baptist Church
8 of Germantown, where her husband was installed as pastor in
9 1938; in addition to being the minister's wife, she served as a
10 Sunday school teacher, a youth leader, the vacation Bible
11 school director, the choir director, the missionary society
12 president, the church financial secretary, and the church
13 trustee; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Dr. Wright was a dynamic speaker who was much in
15 demand for special church services; she was a loyal and active
16 member of the Women's Auxiliary of the Lott Carey Baptist
17 Foreign Missions Convention, the North American Baptist
18 Women's Union of the Baptist World Alliance, and the local
19 association of Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows; she
20 served in a leadership capacity with all of these
21 organizations; and
 
22     WHEREAS, The passing of Dr. Mary Elizabeth Henderson Wright
23 has been deeply felt by many, especially her daughter and
24 son-in-law, Mary LaVerne Miner and Dr. William R. Miner; her
25 son and daughter-in-law, the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright,
26 Jr. and the Rev. Mrs. Ramah Wright; her grandchildren, Janet
27 Marie Moore, Jeri Lynne Harris, Edward Timothy Wright, Jamila
28 Nandi Wright, Nikol D. Reed, and Nathan W. Reed; her
29 great-grandchildren, Jeremiah Antonio Wright-Haynes, Jazmin
30 Lynne Hall, and Steven Lawrence Moore, Jr.; her nieces, Pamela
31 Wood, Tommyzee Suggs, and Joyce Baden; and many other relatives
32 and friends; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3 we mourn the passing of Dr. Mary Elizabeth Henderson Wright,
4 and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and
5 all who knew and loved her; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7 presented to her family as an expression of our sincerest
8 condolences.