HR0244 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0244 LRB098 11718 MST 44562 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Donald L. Duster of Chicago, who passed away on March 11, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Donald Duster and his brothers and sisters all achieved either the first or second academic ranking in their high school classes; he went on to study math at the University of Illinois and earned a master of business arts from DePaul University; he served in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant from 1953-1954 in Texas and Arizona; and

WHEREAS, Donald Duster began working at Spiegel in the mid-1950s, a company that was known for welcoming African Americans at a time when many corporate doors were not open to them; in 1962, he joined ComEd as a financial analyst and except for a small period when Governor James Thompson brought him to the State's Department of Business and Economic Development, which he ran from 1977 to 1979, he worked at ComEd till 1987 when he became assistant executive director of Chicago Commons, a non-profit agency; and

WHEREAS, Later in life, Donald Duster, began working towards the non-violent ending of apartheid in South Africa; he traveled there as a member of the United States-South Africa Leader Exchange Program in the 1970; and

WHEREAS, Donald Duster had a passion for photography; he was a minimalist and would travel the globe carrying only a small suitcase; when he found something he liked he stuck with it; he would eat the same soup-and-salad combo for lunch every day he worked for ComEd and was a member of the same book club for 25 years; when his black Toyota Avalon broke down after 20 years, he bought another one; and

WHEREAS, Donald Duster was the grandson of anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells; he worked to support a monument in her honor at 37th and Langley near her home; he was an active member of the Ida B. Wells Memorial Foundation, and he presented scholarships to students at Ms. Well's alma mater, Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Donald Duster is survived by his wife of 50 years, Maxine; his sons, David and Daniel; his daughter, Michelle Duster; his brother, Troy Duster; and his sister Alfreda Ferrell; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Donald Duster, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

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