State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HR0411

 
                                               LRB9107762KBkb

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,  The  members   of   the   Illinois   House   of
 3    Representatives  are pleased to acknowledge milestones in the
 4    lives of citizens of the State of Illinois; and

 5        WHEREAS, Miss Albertina Walker of Chicago,  Illinois,  is
 6    celebrating her 70th birthday in 1999; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Albertina  Walker was born in Chicago, Illinois
 8    in 1929; it was the time of  the  Great  Depression  and  the
 9    birth  of the Harlem Renaissance; the black church had become
10    the focal point for many African-Americans, a  meeting  place
11    where  they  could  come  together  and  look  for  spiritual
12    enlightenment,  and  also  see  new  and  exciting  forms  of
13    cultural expression; and

14        WHEREAS,  Into this world of entertainment through gospel
15    music came Albertina Walker; by the age of four she had begun
16    singing in the Children's Choir of West Point Baptist Church;
17    at this time gospel music  was  gaining  acceptance  in  many
18    black  churches  through  the  efforts of Professor Thomas A.
19    Dorsey, Sallie Martin, Kenneth Morris,  and  Rosetta  Thorpe;
20    Albertina   Walker   entered   gospel   music  in  its  early
21    beginnings, and would go on to become  the  Queen  of  Gospel
22    Music; and

23        WHEREAS,  By the age of 14, Albertina Walker was a member
24    of the Williams Singers and also toured with the Willie  Webb
25    and  Robert Anderson Singers; by the age of 22 she has formed
26    her own group, the Caravans; the Caravans helped  launch  the
27    careers  of Evangelist Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Shirley
28    Caesar, Delores Washington,  Cassieta  George,  and  Reverend
29    James  Cleveland;  with songs like Day By Day, Mary Don't You
30    Weep, and I Won't Be  Back,  the  Caravans  became  household
31    names; and
 
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 1        WHEREAS, In 1975 Albertina Walker recorded her first solo
 2    album,  Put  A  Little  Love  In  Your Heart; by 1999 she had
 3    recorded over sixty albums, solo and with other artists; some
 4    of these albums include: Please Be Patient With Me, I Can  Go
 5    To  God  In  Prayer,  and  Joy Will Come; Albertina Walker is
 6    still recording music, lending her voice  to  other  projects
 7    when asked; and

 8        WHEREAS,   Albertina   Walker   is   committed   to   the
 9    preservation   of  gospel  music  and  in  1998  founded  the
10    Albertina Walker Foundation for the Creative  and  Performing
11    Arts,   offering   financial   assistance   in  the  form  of
12    scholarships to college students who  plan  on  working  with
13    gospel music; and

14        WHEREAS,  In addition, Albertina Walker has supported the
15    United Negro College Fund,  the  National  Council  of  Negro
16    Women, and Rainbow PUSH Coalition; and

17        WHEREAS, Albertina Walker has made regular appearances on
18    BET's  "Bobby  Jones  Gospel"  program, and "Singsation"; she
19    appeared in the Steve Martin movie "Leap of Faith",  and  the
20    off-Broadway play, "The Gospel Truth"; and

21        WHEREAS, Albertina Walker is the recipient of many awards
22    and   honors,   including:  a  1995  Grammy  Award  for  Best
23    Traditional Album (Songs Of The Church); two Stellar  awards;
24    and  several  Gospel  Music  Workshop  of  America Excellence
25    awards; and

26        WHEREAS, In 1994 Albertina  Walker  was  honored  at  the
27    Chicago  Gospel  Festival  with a street being renamed in her
28    honor, and the placement of  a  bench  bearing  her  name  in
29    Chicago's  Grant Park; she was recently honored with a Doctor
30    of Letters degree from the Chicago Theological  Seminary,  an
31    institution of the University of Chicago; and
 
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 1        WHEREAS,  Perhaps  the  greatest honor that an individual
 2    can receive is the recognition and admiration of  ones  peers
 3    and  fans;  as  Albertina  Walker  sings,  she  worships God,
 4    inspires her audience, and earns  the  title  "The  Queen  of
 5    Gospel"; therefore, be it

 6        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
 7    NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
 8    we  congratulate Albertina Walker on the occasion of her 70th
 9    birthday; may she continue  to  bring  her  listeners,  fans,
10    friends,  and  others  the message of the gospel presented in
11    music; may she continue to enjoy good  health  and  happiness
12    for many years to come; and be it further

13        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
14    presented to Miss Albertina Walker, along  with  our  sincere
15    regards.

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