Bill Text: IL HR0836 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Wesley South.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2010-02-03 - Resolution Adopted [HR0836 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2009-HR0836-Introduced.html

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HR0836 LRB096 18389 GRL 33766 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Wesley
South, who passed away on January 9, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Wesley South was born on March 23, 1914, in
Muskogee, Oklahoma; his parents were Dr. Elijah and Mayme
South; and
WHEREAS, Wesley South and his family moved to Chicago in
1924; he received his primary and secondary education in the
Chicago Public School system and graduated from Englewood High
School; and
WHEREAS, Wesley South served his country with pride and
distinction as a member of the U.S. Army for 2 years during
World War II; after leaving the service, he enrolled at
Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism; and
WHEREAS, In 1951, Wesley South was hired by The Chicago
Defender; in December of 1951, he joined the editorial staff of
the Johnson Publishing Company, where he worked for nearly 6
years; he also worked for the Chicago American and the Chicago
Daily News; and

HR0836 - 2 - LRB096 18389 GRL 33766 r
WHEREAS, In 1961, while working as a columnist and doing
public relations work for the NAACP, Wesley South was
approached by a local radio executive, who asked Mr. South to
host his own show; in 1962, Leonard and Phil Chess of Chess
Records bought the station and changed the call letters to
WVON; 2 years later, Mr. South began his popular program,
Hotline; and
WHEREAS, During Hotline's 16-year run, Wesley South
interviewed such luminaries as Presidents John F. Kennedy and
Jimmy Carter, jazz great Duke Ellington, baseball pioneer
Jackie Robinson, and civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers; in 1979, he became a
part owner of WVON; and
WHEREAS, Wesley South was an active member of his
community, serving in various capacities with the NAACP, The
Chicago Urban League, and Operation Breadbasket; he also played
major roles in the political campaigns of Mayor Harold
Washington, Congressman Gus Savage, and former U.S. Senator
Carol Moseley Braun, as well as the elections of his daughter,
Leslie, to the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Illinois
Appellate Court; and
WHEREAS, Wesley South was preceded in death by his wife,
Mildred; and

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WHEREAS, Wesley South is survived by his daughter, Leslie
South; his son-in-law, Arthur Jackson; and his grandson, Wesley
Jackson; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Wesley
South; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Wesley South as an expression of our
sympathy.