Full Text of HR0721 94th General Assembly
HR0721 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the | 3 |
| State of Illinois learned with sadness of the recent death of | 4 |
| Frank Sparks of Chicago; and
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| WHEREAS, Frank Sparks was born May 18, 1934; he married | 6 |
| Peggy Willis in 1962, and afterward they lived in South Shore; | 7 |
| Frank was the loving father of five children; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Mr. Sparks was considered a legend in the Chicago | 9 |
| salsa community; after his passing, "salsaleros" young and old | 10 |
| fondly remembered the "gentleman" dancer who, even in his | 11 |
| eighth decade of life, regularly danced until midnight or later | 12 |
| at one of several Chicago salsa clubs; he'd then drive home to | 13 |
| his sleeping wife, and the next morning the pair would talk | 14 |
| salsa over coffee; and
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| WHEREAS, Frank and Peggy met in their 20s while dancing the | 16 |
| cha-cha at a South Side club; Peggy remembered that Frank stood | 17 |
| out from the rest of the dancers because he was so supple and | 18 |
| had a particularly skilled way of spinning and dipping a woman; | 19 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Sparks was a businessman with businesses in | 21 |
| South Shore and Hyde Park; for almost three decades, he owned a | 22 |
| record store called Scent-n-Sound; he later owned a variety | 23 |
| store; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Sparks had a number of hobbies, including | 25 |
| playing pool and cards, but he lived for dance - ballroom, | 26 |
| cha-cha, mambo, and salsa, which was his favorite; even though | 27 |
| he had a "bum" knee and a "bum" arm, nothing stopped him from | 28 |
| enjoying a dance; other dancers often confided in him because | 29 |
| they knew he was genuinely interested and wanted to help; he | 30 |
| would gently tell a newer salsa dancer to stand up straight and |
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| listen to the music if he wanted to find the best in the music; | 2 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, In recent years, Mr. Sparks could often be found | 4 |
| at the Buzz nightclub on West Erie; a lanky African-American | 5 |
| man with a shaved head, he favored pressed dress pants, an open | 6 |
| shirt with a collar, and oxfords - and, sometimes, a white or | 7 |
| beige felt cap tilted down to the right; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Mr. Sparks had often told his wife that when he | 9 |
| died, he hoped it would be on the dance floor; on the night he | 10 |
| died, Mr. Sparks was dancing salsa at Green Dolphin Street on | 11 |
| Ashland; he had waited a long time for just the right salsa - | 12 |
| something mild and romantic, a friend said; after just such a | 13 |
| dance, he collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Frank loved his community and made many | 15 |
| contributions to society; and | 16 |
| WHEREAS, The passing of Frank Sparks has been deeply felt | 17 |
| by many, especially his wife, Peggy; his children, Leonardo, | 18 |
| Vincent, Francesca, Kimberly, and Evelyn; and his nine | 19 |
| grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 21 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 22 |
| we mourn the passing of Frank Sparks, and we extend our deepest | 23 |
| sympathy to his family and friends and to all who knew and | 24 |
| loved him; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 26 |
| presented to Frank Sparks' family as an expression of our | 27 |
| sincere condolences.
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