HR1386LRB096 23397 KXB 42761 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Marie
4Wilkinson of Aurora, who passed away on August 12, 2010; and
 
5    WHEREAS, She was born May 6, 1909 in New Orleans, Louisiana
6as Marie LeBeau; she moved to Aurora in 1929 and married auto
7mechanic Charles Wilkinson three years later; she was known as
8the matriarch of Aurora and spent most of her 101 years giving
9back to the city she called home; she fed the hungry, clothed
10the poor, and convinced politicians to enact fair laws and
11fought for equal rights for everyone; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 1961, she started the St. Vincent DePaul Center
13on Sard Avenue in Aurora with the help of St. Peter's Church;
14she also helped form the Quad County Urban League, Aurora's
15Human Relations Commission (which she chaired for 40 years),
16and the food pantry and child development center that bear her
17name; and
 
18    WHEREAS, She was a strong crusader for civil rights and
19worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and met Rosa Parks and
20Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till; in 2001, she
21received the Lumen Christi Award, the Catholic Church's highest
22honor for missionary work; and
 

 

 

HR1386- 2 -LRB096 23397 KXB 42761 r

1    WHEREAS, She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles
2and Maude (Robinson) La Beau; her husband, Charles Wilkinson;
3her son, Donald Wilkinson; her grandson, Craig Wilkinson; her
4brother, Edward La Beau, Sr.; her paternal grandparents, Robert
5and Lena Robinson; her maternal grandmother, Olympia Glapion;
6and her aunt and uncle, Arthur and Hazel Ogden; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Dr. Wilkinson is survived by her daughter, Sheila
8Scott-Wilkinson; her two granddaughters, Donna Wilkinson and
9Michelle Wilkinson; her great-grandson, Christopher Wilkinson;
10and a host of nieces, nephews, friends, and other relatives;
11therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of Dr.
15Marie Wilkinson; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to the family of Dr. Marie Wilkinson as a symbol of
18our sincere sympathy.