Full Text of HR0591 94th General Assembly
HR0591 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0591 |
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LRB094 13512 HSS 48375 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the | 3 |
| State of Illinois learned with great sadness of the death of | 4 |
| John H. Johnson, founder, publisher, and chairman of Johnson | 5 |
| Publishing Company, Inc., on August 8, 2005; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson was the founder of a major | 7 |
| international media and cosmetics empire that includes EBONY | 8 |
| and JET magazines, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, and EBONY Fashion | 9 |
| Fair; Johnson Publishing is the number one African-American | 10 |
| publishing company in the world and was founded in 1942; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson, who borrowed $500 to begin his | 12 |
| publishing endeavors, is credited as one of the major | 13 |
| trailblazers, and he is recognized as the founder of the | 14 |
| African-American consumer market; under his leadership, EBONY | 15 |
| magazine has been the biggest Black-owned magazine in the world | 16 |
| for 60 straight years; in 2002, he named his daughter, Linda | 17 |
| Johnson Rice, the chief operating officer, CEO of the company, | 18 |
| but he retained the title of chairman and publisher until his | 19 |
| death; and
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| WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Mr. Johnson received | 21 |
| several awards, including the highest civilian honor, The | 22 |
| Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the Magazine | 23 |
| Publisher's Association Publisher of the Year Award, the | 24 |
| Advertising Hall of Fame Award, the Arkansas Business Hall of | 25 |
| Fame Award, the National Business Hall of Fame Award, the | 26 |
| Greatest Minority Entrepreneur Award, the Horatio Alger Award, | 27 |
| and the NAACP Spingarn Award; in 2003, Howard University in | 28 |
| Washington, D.C., established the John H. Johnson School of | 29 |
| Communications in his honor; in 2005, the John H. Johnson Delta | 30 |
| Cultural and Entrepreneurial Learning Center in Arkansas City, | 31 |
| Arkansas, was dedicated; and
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HR0591 |
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LRB094 13512 HSS 48375 r |
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| WHEREAS, He received several honorary doctoral degrees | 2 |
| from universities including Harvard University, the University | 3 |
| of Southern California, Northwestern University, Howard | 4 |
| University, and Morehouse College; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Johnson was born in poverty in Arkansas City, | 6 |
| Arkansas, in 1918; he credited the love and determination of | 7 |
| his mother, the late Gertrude Johnson Williams, for starting | 8 |
| him on the road to success; throughout his career he was | 9 |
| supported by his wife, Eunice W. Johnson, secretary-treasurer | 10 |
| of the company; and his daughter, President & CEO Linda Johnson | 11 |
| Rice; he is also survived by his granddaughter, Alexa; | 12 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 14 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 |
| we mourn the passing of John H. Johnson, and we extend our | 16 |
| deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and | 17 |
| loved him; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 |
| presented to his family as an expression of our sincerest | 20 |
| condolences for the loss of a great man.
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