HR0955 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0955 LRB097 21104 KXB 68484 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Theodis R. Leonard, Sr., who passed away on April 8, 2012; and

WHEREAS, He was born February 3, 1934, in Schlater, Mississippi, to Joseph Richard and Lelia Leonard; he graduated from Mileston High School in Tchula, Mississippi in 1953 and enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served 4 years, obtaining the rank of Staff Sergeant, and receiving a special commendation for inventing a hand tool to service airplanes; he was honorably discharged in 1957; and

WHEREAS, After leaving the Air Force, he married his high school sweetheart, Essie Tate, and moved to Chicago's North Lawndale community; he enrolled at Crane Junior College, where he received his AB degree in education; he later received his Master's degree in guidance and counseling from Chicago's Teachers College (now Chicago State University); he completed additional coursework to obtain his Type 75 certification (to qualify for school principal) at Governor's State University; and

WHEREAS, He began teaching at Gregory School in 1965, and was promoted to guidance teacher and later to Assistant Principal; early on in his career, he served as a program director for a summer youth outreach program based in the Urban Progress Center; he was a mentor to young teachers and was instrumental in bringing programs such as Project CANAL and Adopt A School to help teachers develop professionally and to supplement the school's public resources; he served as Principal of Paderewski School until his retirement in 2001; and

WHEREAS, He encouraged several parents to get involved with the PTA and Local School Council, and to go back to school to become teachers; he served as a representative to the Chicago Teachers Union; he was instrumental in getting a representative from the West Side appointed to the Chicago Board of Education and helped organize students, parents, and faculty to keep Gregory School from closing in the late 1980s; and

WHEREAS, He networked with a broad cross section of community based organizations, including the Midwest Community Council and Better Boys Foundation; he was an active member of the PTA for Daniel J. Corkery School; he was a founding member of the North Lawndale Learning Community, a network of principals, educators, and North Lawndale residents; and

WHEREAS, He was a member of the Carey Tercentenary AME Church for over 50 years; he served in a number of capacities, including Sunday School Superintendent, a member of the Usher Board, Class Leader, member of the Steward Board, and member of the Board of Trustees; he was the co-chairman of a scholarship drive in which the church sold subscriptions, enabling several members of the church to get scholarships to offset college expenses; and

WHEREAS, He was appointed President of the Layman's Organization, a position to which he was elected and re-elected for over 30 years; under his leadership, the organization organized a tutoring program to help students with their reading and math skills while enabling student teachers to get hands on experience; the organization was one of the first church auxiliaries in the City of Chicago to develop a computer training program, using TRS-80s and the Commodore 64 computers in the 1980s; the organization started the Carey Cardinals baseball team, which was the West Side's only official Little League affiliate at the time; and

WHEREAS, The Laymen's organization also sponsored sewing classes where students learned to sew and showed off their creations with an annual fashion show; the organization developed a Black History Bowl, in which youth and adults competed on teams to answer trivia questions concerning Black History; he was active at the City, 4th District (regional), and Connectional (national and international) levels of the Laymen's organization, focusing on educational issues and raising funds for scholarships; the last project he spearheaded was raising funds for a lift for the church to make services accessible to the elderly and disabled church members and visitors; and

WHEREAS, He was very engaged in the civic affairs of North Lawndale, serving as an informal advisor to a number of elected officials, including Congressman Danny K. Davis, former State Representative Arthur L. Turner, and Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele; he networked with other community activists from North Lawndale and the AME Church on voter education and registration drives, candidate forums, and election campaigns for the late Mayor Harold Washington; he also worked with the Carey Tercentenary AME Church Laymen's organization to coordinate North Lawndale's first political rally for State Senator Barack Obama in his quest for United States Senate; and

WHEREAS, He was a lifetime member of the NAACP, Retired Teachers Association, and the Principals and Administrators Association; and

WHEREAS, Theodis R. Leonard, Sr. leaves to cherish his memory, his wife, Essie; his children, Renee (Floyd) Turner, Valerie F. Leonard, Theodis R. Leonard, Jr., and Curtis Allan Leonard; his special family friend, Kyshia Thompson; his brother, William Humphrey (Juanita) Leonard; his brother-in-law, Thomas Stepp; his Godson, Dr. Raymond H. O'Neal, Jr.; his aunt, LB Holmes; his 10 grandchildren; his 8 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Theodis R. Leonard, Sr.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Theodis R. Leonard, Sr. as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.