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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of George Washington Collins, who passed
4away on July 31, 2014; and
 
5    WHEREAS, George Collins was born in Bennettsville, South
6Carolina on October 14, 1926 to Bishop W.C. and Elizabeth (nee
7McCall) Collins; he attended Laurinburg Normal and Industrial
8Institute, in Laurinburg, North Carolina; he served in the
9United States Army Air Corps, achieving the rank of Sergeant;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, Upon being discharged in 1947, George Collins
12began working as a reporter for The People's Voice; he later
13joined the Afro-American Newspapers in Baltimore, Maryland,
14where he covered such historical events as the March on
15Washington and the assassination of President Kennedy; his
16award-winning coverage included many events in the 1960s Civil
17Rights Movement and he was a tenacious investigative reporter
18bringing justice to corrupt public officials; he garnered
19national recognition for his coverage of the funerals of Dr.
20Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968; he
21worked as an anchor and associate editor at WMAR-TV 2 News,
22where he established himself as the first African-American
23television journalist in Baltimore; during his 20-year, he was

 

 

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1an executive producer, investigative reporter, political
2analyst, and editorial director; his programs looked at
3substantive issues in the black community; he spent last decade
4of his career as host of @Issue, a live, one-hour weekly
5program on Morgan State University Radio, WEAA-88.9 FM, that
6explored provocative issues having both a direct and indirect
7impact on the quality of life as seen through the Black
8Experience; and
 
9    WHEREAS, In 2003, George Collins was jointly cited by the
10Library of America, the National Committee for Excellence in
11Journalism, and the Smithsonian Institution as "one of the best
12American journalists of the 20th century"; and
 
13    WHEREAS, George Collins was a member of the New Shiloh
14Baptist Church for 41 years; and
 
15    WHEREAS, George Collins was preceded in death by his
16parents; and
 
17    WHEREAS, George Collins is survived by his wife of over 65
18years, Eloise Ross Collins; his 4 children, Barbara C. Rhodes
19(Warren), Ronald B. Collins (Sylvia), Vanessa C. Pyatt (James),
20and Valerie D. Collins; his 4 grandchildren, Mandisa A.
21Rhodes-Trower (Christopher), Zachary P. Collins, Vashti E.
22Pyatt, and Tabitha D. Pyatt; his great-grandchild, Khadijah A.

 

 

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1Trower; his 4 brothers, David C. Collins, Benjamin F. Collins,
2Bishop Floyd D. Collins (Barbara), and Nathaniel N. Collins;
3his 2 sisters-in-law, Annie Collins and Leah Collins; and a
4host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
6ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
7George Washington Collins, and extend our sincere condolences
8to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
9it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of George Collins as an expression of
12our deepest sympathy.