Full Text of SR0552 101st General Assembly
SR0552 101ST 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 Margaret R. Blackshere, who passed away | 4 | | on July 6, 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere was raised in North Venice by | 6 | | her mother, Frances, and her aunt, Margie; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere began her career in education | 8 | | as a kindergarten teacher in Madison after obtaining her | 9 | | master's degree in education at Southern Illinois University in | 10 | | Edwardsville (SIUE); while attending SIUE, she served as a | 11 | | student trustee and then as a trustee appointed by the | 12 | | governor; she organized the movement that led to the Madison | 13 | | teachers joining the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT); and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere served at all levels of the | 15 | | labor movement from president of her local union (763) to | 16 | | statewide vice president of the IFT; in 1993, she was elected | 17 | | secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO; she was later | 18 | | elected as president and served two terms, the first woman to | 19 | | hold that position; she retired as president in February of | 20 | | 2007 and was given the status of president emeritus; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere spent her life working to |
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| 1 | | elect worker-friendly legislators and state-wide officials; | 2 | | her efforts were key to passing legislation dealing with | 3 | | raising the minimum wage, expanding health care, enacting card | 4 | | check for public employees, revamping unemployment insurance, | 5 | | and revising workers' compensation laws; one of her greatest | 6 | | contributions was her ability to bring competing interests | 7 | | together; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere was involved in numerous | 9 | | organizations fighting for equality and social justice; she | 10 | | served with Illinois Women In Leadership and with a variety of | 11 | | other boards, councils, and coalitions, including the United | 12 | | Way of Illinois, the American Red Cross in Illinois, the | 13 | | Chicago Council of Foreign Relations, the Unemployment | 14 | | Insurance Advisory Board, the Alliance of Retired Americans | 15 | | Executive Board, the Industrial Commission's Self Insure's | 16 | | Advisory Board, the Chicago Metropolis 2020 Board, the Illinois | 17 | | Women's Institute for Leadership, the Transportation for | 18 | | Illinois Coalition, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago | 19 | | Advisory Council, and the Board of Trustees of the Global | 20 | | Solidarity Center in Washington, D.C.; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere received numerous awards, | 22 | | including the Labor Leader Award in 2000 from the Labor Council | 23 | | for Latin American Advancement, the Israel Peace Medal in 2000 | 24 | | from the State of Israel, and the Protector of Working People |
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| 1 | | Award in 2002 from the Illinois State Crime Commission; she was | 2 | | the guest of honor in 2003 for Chicago's St Patrick's Day | 3 | | Parade; in 1998, she was inducted into the Illinois Labor | 4 | | History Society's Union Hall of Honor; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere was a delegate to the | 6 | | Democratic National Convention; she served as director of the | 7 | | Illinois Democratic Coordinated Campaign in 1990 and 1992 and | 8 | | was a member of the Democratic National Committee; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Margaret Blackshere was the loving mother of | 10 | | Michael (Catherine) and Thomas (Zoe); the devoted grandmother | 11 | | of Michael, Alex, Quinn, and Raquel Blackshere; and the fond | 12 | | sister of Patricia (the late Leroy) Smith; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 14 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 15 | | Margaret R. Blackshere and extend our sincere condolences to | 16 | | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 17 | | further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the family of Margaret Blackshere as an expression | 20 | | of our deepest sympathy.
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