Full Text of HR0797 100th General Assembly
HR0797 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Henry | 4 | | Irving Thomas Jr., who passed away on January 27, 2018; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Henry Thomas Jr. was born in Chicago to Henry Sr. | 6 | | and Gloria (Ward) Thomas on April 5, 1953; he was raised on the | 7 | | South Side and attended Harlan High School, where he was a star | 8 | | basketball player; one of his greatest accomplishments was when | 9 | | the basketball team beat DuSable to win the Chicago City | 10 | | Championship in 1970; he attended Bradley University on a full | 11 | | basketball scholarship; he graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of | 12 | | Science in Accounting, and he then attended DePaul University, | 13 | | where he received his Juris Doctor and Legum Magister in | 14 | | Taxation; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Henry Thomas Jr. worked as a specialist with | 16 | | Cooper & Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers, for several | 17 | | years; while at DePaul on a teaching fellowship, he created the | 18 | | school's first sports law course, which he taught for 23 years; | 19 | | he joined the Chicago law firm Carney & Brothers, Ltd. in 1984; | 20 | | there, he signed his first client, Tim Hardaway; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, In 1989, Thomas Henry Jr. formed his own | 22 | | management company, Thomas Sports Management (TSM); his |
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| 1 | | clients included NBA players Lindsay Hunter, Michael Finley, | 2 | | Donnie Boyce, Anthony Parker and Charles Smith; in 2002, he | 3 | | sold TSM to Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG), and in | 4 | | his first year, signed Tim James, Marcus Fizer, Bobbi Simmons, | 5 | | Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Dee Brown, and Ronnie | 6 | | Brewer; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In 2009, Henry Thomas Jr. joined entertainment and | 8 | | sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where he was | 9 | | instrumental in building the foundation of its basketball group | 10 | | and establishing the agency's presence in Chicago; in addition | 11 | | to adding TJ Warren, DeAndre Liggins, and Manny Harris, he also | 12 | | managed the increasing demands of two of the "Big 3" Miami Heat | 13 | | Players; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Henry Thomas Jr. had the ability to connect with | 15 | | athletes on a personal level, which made him effective and | 16 | | beloved; he remained close to his Harlan High School roots and | 17 | | his 95th Street community; in 2011, he spearheaded the effort | 18 | | to refurbish the gym floor at Harlan High school, which | 19 | | commemorated the 40th anniversary of the City Championship win; | 20 | | the new floor was named after his high school coach and mentor, | 21 | | Lee Umbles; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Henry Thomas Jr. is survived by his wife, Susan; | 23 | | his daughters, Hillary and Jaye; his son, Ryan; his sister, |
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| 1 | | Sharon (Douglas); his niece, Lindsay (Andy); and his grandniece | 2 | | Rilyn; therefore, be it
| 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 4 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 5 | | mourn the passing of Henry Irving Thomas Jr. and extend our | 6 | | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | 7 | | and loved him; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to the family of Henry Thomas Jr. as an expression of | 10 | | our deepest sympathy.
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