Bill Text: IL SR1195 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Emiel Hamberlin Jr., Ph.D.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-11-13 - Resolution Adopted [SR1195 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SR1195-Introduced.html

---

SR1195 LRB103 42513 LAW 75745 r
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
to learn of the death of Emiel Hamberlin Jr., Ph.D.; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hamberlin was born to Emile and Douglas
(Olga) Hamberlin in Fayette, Mississippi on November 8, 1939;
he began attending Alcorn State University in 1964, where he
earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and became a member of
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; he married his wife, Minnie,
in 1965; he moved to Chicago after graduating college; at the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he earned his Master
of Education in Vocational Education in 1978 and his Doctor of
Philosophy in Horticulture in 1982; he later received a degree
in advanced studies at Northwestern University in 1993; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hamberlin valued education throughout his
36-year teaching career at Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High
School in Chicago; he believed education to be the key to
upward mobility and should be fair and equitable; he
encouraged his students to receive the best education possible
and expanded their academic horizons where he was able, which
included providing such opportunities as exploring nature,
visiting museums, going on various field trips, and engaging
in hands-on activities; he encouraged and assisted many of his
students in attending and graduating from a number of esteemed

SR1195 - 2 - LRB103 42513 LAW 75745 r
colleges and universities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hamberlin received many academic and special
recognition awards, including the Will/Cook County
Conservation Award in 1978, the State of Illinois Master
Teacher Award in 1980, an award for community service from the
Ora Higgins Youth Foundation in 1985, the Citizen Schools
Committee School Improvement Award in 1990, an award from the
Kohl Family Foundation in 1992, the Golden Apple Teacher Award
in 1996, and an award from the Harold Washington Cultural
Center in 2022; he was named the 1971 City of Chicago Teacher
of the Year, the 1974 Outstanding Secondary Educator of
America, the 1975 Professional Personnel Director
Environmental Educator, and the 1977 Teacher of the Year by
the Illinois State Board of Education; he was also featured as
an extraordinary instructor on ABC's 20/20 with Hugh Downs in
1977 and was mentioned in Who's Who Among Black Americans in
1988, Newsweek Magazine in 1986, and the 2004 book, America
Behind the Colored Lines, by Henry Louis Gates; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hamberlin committed to his faith at an early
age in Fayette, Mississippi; after moving to Chicago, he
joined Liberty Baptist Church, where he became a very active
member, a deacon, and a trustee; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hamberlin was a devoted husband, a loving and

SR1195 - 3 - LRB103 42513 LAW 75745 r
nurturing father, a doting grandfather, and a dedicated
educator affectionately known as "Doc" by many; he will be
remembered for his wisdom, his commitment to education, and
the impact he made on the lives of his students; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hamberlin was the husband of Minnie for 59
years; the father of Emiel Hamberlin III and Mark Hamberlin;
the grandfather of Emiel IV, Kenneth, Angela, and Jordan; the
brother of the late Jacqueline Brown Lowe, McKinley (Keith)
Hamberlin, James (Julia) Hamberlin, the late Herman Hamberlin,
and Lavern (Pastor Mary) Hamberlin; the cousin of James Brown;
and the uncle of many; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
Emiel Hamberlin Jr., Ph.D., and extend our sincere condolences
to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
it further