Bill Text: IL SR1689 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of Dr. Mable Louise Blackwell of Chicago.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-12-04 - Resolution Adopted [SR1689 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-SR1689-Introduced.html

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SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
learn of the death of Dr. Mable Louise Blackwell of Chicago,
who passed away on December 22, 2013; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell was born in Decatur, Alabama
on February 15, 1947 to Herman Tennis and Ruth Kathyrn (nee
Ewing) Blackwell; her family relocated in 1953 and she spent
her childhood years in Champaign; she studied at Lawhead
Elementary School, Willard Elementary School, Franklin Junior
High School (now Franklin Middle School), and Champaign Senior
High School (now Central High School); she attended Andrew
Jackson High School in Queens, New York in 1964 and returned to
graduate from Champaign Senior High School in 1965; she later
attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where she
was initiated into the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,
Epsilon Xi Chapter in 1968; she continued her education at
Chicago State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in
Biological Sciences in 1972 and later a Master of Arts in
Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in
1974; she earned her M.D. in 1978 in Pediatrics and later a
Master of Public Health in 1986, both from the University of
Illinois at Chicago; and
WHEREAS, For more than 30 years, Dr. Mable Blackwell used

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her medical training in service as a practicing physician,
medical administrator, and academician; she held positions at
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center and John H. Stroger, Jr.
Hospital of Cook County; she served as the Regional Medical
Director for the Chicago Department of Public Health, the
Medical Director for the Illinois Department of Human Services,
and the Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director for the Will
County Health Department and Community Health Center; for
almost 10 years, she served as a Clinical Associate Professor
in the Department of Pediatrics and as the Director of the
Office of Public Health Practice at the University of Illinois
at Chicago College of Medicine; while as a professor and
administrator at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she
served as a consultant to the Illinois Office of Inspector
General, Division of Medical Integrity; she was also a Visiting
Professor at Chicago State University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell's service extended nationally
and internationally, as well as within the State of Illinois;
she served as a Professional Peer Reviewer for the United
States Department of Health and Human Resources' Health
Resources and Service Administration, the National Institute
of Health, the National Cancer Institute Office of Cancer
Program Support, and the United States Department of Education
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education; her
concern for providing adequate healthcare for infants,

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children, and adults throughout the world led her to visit and
examine health delivery practices, access, and barriers
throughout West Africa, Japan, China, Thailand, Mexico, and
South Africa, which included serving as an invited planning
meeting participant on the Establishing a Post Apartheid Health
System for South Africa conference sponsored by the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation at the University of Illinois at Chicago;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell was a Fellow of the American
Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy for Cerebral
Palsy and Developmental Medicine; she was awarded several
research grants for her work in minority and adolescent
medicine and in support of her public service and public health
initiatives; some of those awards include the Adolescent Access
to Healthcare, the American Teachers of Preventive Medicine,
University of Illinois; Healthy Solutions, American Academy of
Pediatrics; Health Professions School Service to the Nation,
Pew Health Commission, University of California at San
Francisco; Community Based Public Health 2000, W.K. Kellogg
Foundation; Public Health Practice Initiative, Health Resource
Services Administration, U.S. Public Health Service,
Department of Human Services; Community-Based Public Health
Practice, Leadership Development, W.K. Kellogg Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell served as the CEO of Blackwell

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Consulting Services, Inc. in Public Health Services, serving
the southern Chicago metropolitan area; she managed the Title
II Specialized Training and Education Program Services
(STEPS), Mayor's Office of Employment and Training; she was a
member of the American Medical Association, the American
Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety, the
American Public Health Association, the American Medical
Directors Association, and the Cook County Physicians
Association; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell was deeply committed to her
family and friends and was forever mindful of the contributions
her parents made to their community, as well as to her and her
siblings' lives; in honor of her parents, she founded the
Herman T. and Ruth K. Blackwell Foundation INC, a non-profit
public charity established to support and encourage
communities in improving the quality of life for themselves and
future generations; proceeds from the Foundation are an endowed
scholarship by the same name at Morehouse College; she served
as Chairperson of the Foundation until her death; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell was baptized at St. Luke
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Champaign; in 1995, she
joined Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and became an
active member; she was involved with the Project Jeremiah and
the Yoga ministries; she enjoyed gardening, yoga, and playing

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tennis; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell was preceded in death by her
parents, Herman T. and Ruth K. Blackwell; her brothers, Duane
W. Blackwell and William N. Blackwell; and her sister, Diana D.
Polk; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Mable Blackwell is survived by her daughter,
Samantha S. Fields and son, Ryan E. Fields; her sisters,
Dorothy R. Coleman (Dejustice), Doris K. Butts (Stanley), Wilma
J. Conwell, Clara Johnson (Samuel), and Ave M. Blackwell
Alvarado; her brothers, Robert T. Blackwell (Carolyn) and
Victor E. Blackwell (Kimberly); and host of nephews, nieces,
cousins, and friends; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
Dr. Mable Louise Blackwell, and extend our sincere condolences
to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Dr. Mable Blackwell as an expression
of our deepest sympathy.