Full Text of SR1368 102nd General Assembly
SR1368 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of radio and TV personality Floyd A. | 4 | | Brown of Elgin, who passed away on December 9, 2022; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown was born to Faye Lee | 6 | | McFarland-Grayson and Lewis O. Woods in Dallas, Texas on | 7 | | November 5, 1930; he left Texas at an early age, moving to | 8 | | Washington, D.C., where he graduated from high school at the | 9 | | age of 16; he served in the U.S. Army; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown's military service led him to become | 11 | | an engineer at radio station WRMN in Elgin in 1951, and his | 12 | | career included working as program manager and personality for | 13 | | WYNR; he was the first African American to sign with NBC and | 14 | | WMAQ, where he was an announcer and on-air personality; he | 15 | | worked at WGN from 1971 to 1999, during which he worked as a | 16 | | sportscaster and sports anchor on the evening news; with his | 17 | | iconic voice, he hosted The Floyd Brown Show on WGN for more | 18 | | than 29 years, where he featured entertainment, music, | 19 | | interviews, and news/business topics, and his guests included | 20 | | such legendary jazz artists as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, | 21 | | and Ella Fitzgerald; in addition to his time at WGN, he joined | 22 | | the Chicago Sunday Evening Club in 1985 and hosted WTTW's 30 | 23 | | Good Minutes until he retired in 1996; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown contributed his time and talents to | 2 | | the arts and civic life in his local community of Elgin; he was | 3 | | a founding member of the Elgin Human Relations Commission and | 4 | | served as president of the Elgin Housing Commission and | 5 | | marketing director for the Kane County Fair; he was master of | 6 | | ceremonies for WGN's Know Your Heritage, the Bud Billiken | 7 | | Parade, the Gospel Stellar Awards, and Central City | 8 | | Productions; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown received many awards, including the | 10 | | D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award from Judson University, | 11 | | the Friend of Education Award from Elgin Community College, | 12 | | and the Trailblazer Award from the Quad City Urban League; he | 13 | | was inducted into WGN Radio's Walk of Fame on March 22, 2016; | 14 | | he was also recognized for his achievements as a civil rights | 15 | | activist and his commitment to supporting the arts; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown, an avid golfer and sports | 17 | | enthusiast, was the first African American to become a member | 18 | | of a private country club in the State of Illinois; he served | 19 | | on the board of the United States Golf Association and the | 20 | | Chicago District Golf Association; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown will be remembered as a legendary | 22 | | trailblazer whose major role and notoriety as a Black man in |
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| 1 | | media paved the way for other people of color to achieve | 2 | | success in broadcasting, while simultaneously bringing joy and | 3 | | entertainment to homes across the country; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown was preceded in death by his parents; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Floyd Brown is survived by his wife of 67 years, | 7 | | Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Brown; his son, Judge Floyd Keith | 8 | | Brown; his daughter, Diane Brown; his grandchildren, Marcus | 9 | | (Amanda) Brown, Nicole Brown, Jordan Douglas, and Taylor | 10 | | Douglas; and his great-grandchildren, Mikayla, Caleb, and | 11 | | Cassidy Brown; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 14 | | Floyd A. Brown and extend our sincere condolences to his | 15 | | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | 16 | | further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of Floyd Brown as an expression of our | 19 | | deepest sympathy.
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