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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of James K.
4Polk of Peoria, who passed away on November 8, 2016; and
 
5    WHEREAS, James Polk was born in Memphis, Tennessee to
6Charlie and Nellie (Jones) Polk on June 13, 1939; he moved to
7Peoria in 1943 and graduated from Peoria High School in 1957,
8where he was an All-State basketball player; he attended
9community college and married Virginia Kyle, Patricia Stokes,
10and Patti; and
 
11    WHEREAS, James Polk worked for General Motors in California
12from 1961 to 1967; after returning to Peoria, he worked for
13CILCO and ran the YWCA Ashanti Umojia Youth Center before
14joining Caterpillar in 1974; he retired from Caterpillar in
151986 and founded several businesses, including the Balance
16Stone Strategies Group; and
 
17    WHEREAS, James Polk was a member of the Peoria County Board
18from 1972 to 1976 and from 1982 to 1985; he was a Peoria City
19Councilman for the First District from 1985 to 1993; he was the
20first African American to run and win those positions; he
21served on the Illinois Central College Board of Trustees,
22beginning in 1997 with eight years in leadership positions; he

 

 

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1served on the Board of Trustees Greater Peoria Mass
2Transit-City Link from 2007 to just recently; he was on the
3Tri-County Regional Planning Commission for 10 years, serving
4as past Chairman; he was involved with Illinois Central
5College, CityLink, the Peoria Civic Center Authority, the Boys &
6 Girls Clubs of America, the American Community College
7Trustee Association, and the Tri-County Regional Planning
8Commission; and
 
9    WHEREAS, James Polk helped Carol Moseley Braun in her
10election to the United States Senate as the first black female
11senator, serving as downstate Chairman for her United States
12Senate campaign; he was twice elected to the National
13Democratic Convention and served as a consultant to Chicago
14Mayor Harold Washington; and
 
15    WHEREAS, James Polk was a recipient of the 2015 Peoria Area
16Chamber of Commerce Tom Connor Service Award, the 2015 Peoria
17Magazines Local Legends, and the 2006 Dr. Martin Luther King
18Commemorative Service Leadership Award; in 2014, he was
19inducted into the African American Hall of Fame; and
 
20    WHEREAS, James Polk was a member of the Mt. Zion Baptist
21Church, the Peoria Downtown Rotary Club, and the NAACP, where
22he served as Vice-President; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, James Polk was preceded in death by his son, Kevin
2Polk; and
 
3    WHEREAS, James Polk is survived by his wife of 17 years,
4Patti; his children, Karen (Billy) Raymond, Jonelle (Daniel)
5McCloud, and Rebecca Polk; his stepchildren, Anika (Henry)
6Florez, and Joshua (Gina) Sterling; his brother, Sam (Jean)
7Polk; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren;
8therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11mourn the passing of James K. Polk, and extend our sincere
12condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
13him; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to the family of James Polk as an expression of our
16deepest sympathy.