Full Text of SR1269 99th General Assembly
SR1269 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of Henry "Hank" Martinez; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez was born in Chicago to parents who | 5 | | came from Guanajuato, Mexico; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez dedicated his life to provide | 7 | | guidance for youth and to empower Latino communities; he was | 8 | | the Founder and Executive Director of the Mexican Community | 9 | | Committee, which was established to reduce crime and gang | 10 | | activity and was the first entity of its kind in the southeast | 11 | | community of Chicago; he was the Founder and Director of the | 12 | | Latino Resource Institute of Illinois, which also houses an | 13 | | Illinois Welcoming Center and Family Advocacy Center; he served | 14 | | as Senior Supervisor at the Chicago Area Project, which | 15 | | addresses juvenile delinquency in some of the poorest | 16 | | communities of the City of Chicago; he launched the first | 17 | | Latino community college program in southeast Chicago, | 18 | | "Projecto Venceremos", which was later adopted by the City | 19 | | Colleges of Chicago; he also served as part of Governor | 20 | | Ogilvie's Spanish Speaking Peoples Study Commission in the | 21 | | early 1970s, one of the first Latino commissions in the nation; | 22 | | and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Over 3 decades later, Henry Martinez became | 2 | | convinced that Latinos needed a voice inside State government | 3 | | more than ever, which led him to become the visionary force | 4 | | behind the creation of the Illinois Latino Family Commission; | 5 | | he began serving as the organization's chairman in 2010 and led | 6 | | the efforts to fight for Latino equity and inclusion; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez served his country as a member of | 8 | | the United States military during the Korean War; he | 9 | | subsequently made it his mission to ensure that Latino veterans | 10 | | have a voice and access to well-deserved support; he was the | 11 | | founder of the Latino Veterans Committee of the Illinois Latino | 12 | | Family Commission to provide a forum to connect Latino veterans | 13 | | throughout the State to resources and each other; he led the | 14 | | efforts to establish a Vietnam veterans memorial in south | 15 | | Chicago that stands as a testament today to his commitment to | 16 | | his fellow veterans; he was also an active member of the | 17 | | American G.I. Forum and numerous boards, councils, and | 18 | | commissions throughout his many years of service and advocacy; | 19 | | and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez graduated from Roosevelt | 21 | | University and the University of Chicago and held a master's | 22 | | degree in Juvenile Justice from Chicago State University; and
| 23 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez will be fondly remembered by those |
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| 1 | | who knew and loved him for his roles as community organizer, | 2 | | youth advocate, government worker, consultant, journalist, | 3 | | social worker, executive director, Latino community leader, | 4 | | and devoted father, as well as his work as an action-oriented | 5 | | leader that accomplished many firsts on behalf of the Latino | 6 | | community; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez was preceded in death by his | 8 | | parents, Rafael, Sr. and Josephine Martinez, and his siblings, | 9 | | Dennis Martinez, Leobardo Martinez, Lorenzo Martinez, Frank | 10 | | Martinez, Paul Martinez, Evelyn Martinez, and Genevive Torres; | 11 | | and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Henry Martinez is survived by his wife, Linda (nee | 13 | | Rico); his daughters, Alison Itzel Martinez and Kristal Fatima | 14 | | Martinez; his grandson, Henry Nathan Figueroa; and his | 15 | | siblings, Michael Martinez, Rafael Martinez, Constance Perez, | 16 | | Nadien Guerin, and Judith Rodriguez; therefore, be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 18 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with his | 19 | | family and friends, mourn the passing of Henry "Hank" Martinez; | 20 | | and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 22 | | presented to the family of Henry Martinez as an expression of |
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| 1 | | our sympathy.
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