Bill Text: IL HR0954 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Carroll Ray Phelps, Ph.D.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-11-21 - Resolution Adopted [HR0954 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0954-Introduced.html
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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 Carroll | ||||||
| 4 | Ray Phelps, Ph.D., who passed away on November 15, 2024; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was born to Cecil and Hazel Phelps in | ||||||
| 6 | Texas City on January 3, 1946; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was the bass singer and comedic relief | ||||||
| 8 | for The Phelps Brothers, a gospel quartet that included his | ||||||
| 9 | three brothers and was formed after they competed in and won a | ||||||
| 10 | talent contest in 1955; they spent the next 65-plus years | ||||||
| 11 | singing gospel music all over the United States and sang | ||||||
| 12 | full-time professionally from 1972 to 1978, during which they | ||||||
| 13 | toured with other well-known gospel groups, including The Oak | ||||||
| 14 | Ridge Boys, The Stamps Quartet, and The Blackwood Brothers | ||||||
| 15 | Quartet; during their musical career, they were nominated as | ||||||
| 16 | Best New Group by the Gospel Music Association in 1973 and were | ||||||
| 17 | also the first gospel group to sing at the new Grand Ole Opry | ||||||
| 18 | in Nashville, Tennessee; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was a leader in the field of | ||||||
| 20 | education, both as a teacher and an administrator, becoming | ||||||
| 21 | known for constantly seeking ways to improve the educational | ||||||
| 22 | process and implementing many programs to benefit the learning | ||||||
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| 1 | environment of his students; he began his teaching career at | ||||||
| 2 | Eldorado High School (EHS); he served as president of the | ||||||
| 3 | Eldorado teachers' union in the early 1970s and led one of the | ||||||
| 4 | first teachers' strikes in the State of Illinois; he became | ||||||
| 5 | principal of EHS in 1988; during his tenure, he opened a child | ||||||
| 6 | care center located inside the school, allowing students with | ||||||
| 7 | young children to continue their studies and thereby ensuring | ||||||
| 8 | many obtained their high school diplomas; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps became superintendent of Gallatin | ||||||
| 10 | County Schools after earning his Ph.D. in Education from | ||||||
| 11 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1996; while there, | ||||||
| 12 | he recognized that students and their families lacked access | ||||||
| 13 | to medical care, leading him to coordinate with a health | ||||||
| 14 | system in Evansville, Indiana to create the Gallatin County | ||||||
| 15 | Wellness Center, which has been providing primary care | ||||||
| 16 | services for the Gallatin County community since 2003; near | ||||||
| 17 | the end of his career, he became a faculty member and professor | ||||||
| 18 | at Oakland City University in Indiana, where he started a | ||||||
| 19 | Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) doctoral program, before | ||||||
| 20 | concluding his career as superintendent of Hardin County | ||||||
| 21 | Schools; and
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| 22 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was devoted to his faith throughout | ||||||
| 23 | his entire life and was a member of Star General Baptist | ||||||
| 24 | Church, where he was the longest-serving member prior to his | ||||||
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| 1 | death and served in many capacities, including as a choir | ||||||
| 2 | member, the Sunday school superintendent, a Sunday school | ||||||
| 3 | teacher, and a member of numerous committees; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps kept very close relationships with his | ||||||
| 5 | sons and especially enjoyed spending time with his family at | ||||||
| 6 | church and family dinners on Sundays; he and his wife were | ||||||
| 7 | inseparable, and they loved doing things together; he and his | ||||||
| 8 | brothers were each other's best friends, and they enjoyed | ||||||
| 9 | having dinner together with their wives in Marion on Friday | ||||||
| 10 | nights; he dearly loved his grandchildren and enjoyed | ||||||
| 11 | attending their sporting events, recitals, and plays; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was preceded in death by his parents; | ||||||
| 13 | and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps is survived by his wife, Chris Phelps; | ||||||
| 15 | his sons, Kelly (Kelly Lynne) Phelps and Aaron (Arianne) | ||||||
| 16 | Phelps; his grandchildren, Kennedy Carroll (Dallas Cockrum) | ||||||
| 17 | Cockrum, Kole Phelps, Victoria "Tori" Phelps, and Jake Phelps; | ||||||
| 18 | his great-grandchild, Lyncoln Rae Cockrum; his brothers, Larry | ||||||
| 19 | (Kathy) Phelps, David (Leslie) Phelps, and Dennis Michael | ||||||
| 20 | "Mike" (Barbara) Phelps; his brother-in-law, Mark Bauer; | ||||||
| 21 | numerous nieces and nephews; and a special friend to the | ||||||
| 22 | family, Sue Easton; therefore, be it
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| 1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 2 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 3 | we mourn the passing of Carroll Ray Phelps, Ph.D. and extend | ||||||
| 4 | our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who | ||||||
| 5 | knew and loved him; and be it further
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