SR2347 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2347 LRB099 23815 GRL 51333 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Herb Kent, who passed away at the age of 88; and

WHEREAS, Herb Kent was born on October 5, 1928 and was raised on Chicago's South Side, where he received early musical inspiration from the rhythm and blues clubs that dotted his neighborhood; he often stood outside the windows of these clubs listening to the tunes being played inside; and

WHEREAS, As a young teen, Herb Kent became involved in drama workshops and studied classical music at Hyde Park High School; in 1944, at the age of 16, he hosted a classical music program for the prestigious WBEZ Radio station; and

WHEREAS, Herb Kent hosted radio shows on several stations in Chicago; though each station had a platform and a format of its own, his style of humor, critique, and banter was immediately recognizable to his loyal listeners, no matter what station broadcast his shows; one of his most infamous stints was with WVON Radio between 1962 and 1970; many members of the broadcasting community have stated that he greatly helped to launch the careers of such R & B artists as The Temptations, Minnie Ripperton, Curtis Mayfield, and Smokey Robinson because of his enthusiastic, on-air embrace of their music; and

WHEREAS, During his broadcast on WVON, Herb Kent became widely known as the "Voice of the People" for Chicago's South Side, the spokesperson for local African-Americans; he became known widely as "Herb Kent, the Cool Gent", and even served as producer for an R & B group named The Cool Gents; and

WHEREAS, Herb Kent was the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including an induction into the Museum of Broadcast Communications Radio Hall of Fame in 1995; in 1996, he witnessed the official dedication of a street on Chicago's South Side in his honor: "Herb Kent Drive"; he was also recognized by the dedication of a United States postal stamp bearing his image, which was included in the 1998 "Golden Days of Radio" series, and was named the Honorary Mayor of Bronzeville by the citizens of that South Side community the following year; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Herb Kent; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Herb Kent as an expression of our sympathy.