Bill Text: IL HR0631 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Thelma Yolonde Byassee Peterson.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-02-15 - Resolution Adopted [HR0631 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HR0631-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Thelma | ||||||
4 | Yolonde Byassee Peterson, who passed away on December 28, | ||||||
5 | 2021; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson was born to Sarah | ||||||
7 | Elizabeth Vaughn Byassee and James Henry Byassee of Creal | ||||||
8 | Spring on July 28, 1928; she attended school through 8th grade | ||||||
9 | in Creal Springs before transferring to Marion Township High | ||||||
10 | School, which offered a music curriculum; she married Guy H. | ||||||
11 | "Pete" Peterson on August 8, 1951, and he preceded her in death | ||||||
12 | in October 2021; she attended Southern Illinois University | ||||||
13 | Carbondale, where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education | ||||||
14 | in 1957 and her Master of Science in Education in June 1970; | ||||||
15 | and
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16 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson began her career in | ||||||
17 | education early in life, teaching piano lessons at age 12; she | ||||||
18 | taught at Marion Community Unit School District 2 for nearly | ||||||
19 | 40 years; she produced classic Broadway musicals at Marion | ||||||
20 | High School from 1964 until she retired in 1989; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson belonged to a number of | ||||||
22 | civic groups and charitable causes; she was the musical |
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1 | director of First United Methodist Church in Marion for over | ||||||
2 | 50 years; she served as chair of the Marion Cultural and Civic | ||||||
3 | Center Board for 48 years, shaping the cultural landscape of | ||||||
4 | Marion and Southern Illinois; she was a longtime member of | ||||||
5 | Marion First Baptist Church; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson received a number of | ||||||
7 | accolades for her dedication to the community and the arts, | ||||||
8 | including the Woman of Achievement Award in 1979, the Mayor's | ||||||
9 | Service Award in 2002, and the Award of Excellence for Service | ||||||
10 | to the Performing Arts in 2004 by the Greater Marion Area | ||||||
11 | Chamber of Commerce; she was honored by the Marion Cultural | ||||||
12 | and Civic Center Auditorium with the naming of The Yolonde B. | ||||||
13 | Peterson Performance Hall in 2018; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson was a Southern Illinois | ||||||
15 | cultural, musical, and artistic icon; she will be fondly | ||||||
16 | remembered as Marion's "Matriarch of the Arts", whose | ||||||
17 | unflappable presence in the community was a force that moved | ||||||
18 | the arts forward; her legacy lives on through her many former | ||||||
19 | students becoming music educators and performers around the | ||||||
20 | globe; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson was preceded in death by | ||||||
22 | her husband of 70 years, Guy H. "Pete" Peterson; her parents; | ||||||
23 | her two siblings, Rosella Byassee (Taylor) and James Howard |
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1 | Byassee; and her niece, Barbara Jane Taylor Cox; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Yolonde Byassee Peterson is survived by her | ||||||
3 | nephews, James (Linda Pinson Byassee) Byassee and Don Byassee; | ||||||
4 | her great-nieces and nephews, Elizabeth (Jeff) Byassee Shore, | ||||||
5 | Amanda Yolonde (Ashley) Byassee Gott, Margaret (Shawn) Byassee | ||||||
6 | Edmondson, Evan James (Amanda) Byassee, and Kevin (Mary) Cox; | ||||||
7 | her nieces, Kara Cox Santi and Cammy (Mark) Cox Duggins; her | ||||||
8 | great-great-nieces and nephews, Benjamin Shore, Victoria | ||||||
9 | Shore, Jamie Gott, Alex Gott, Jeremy Gott, Henry Edmondson, | ||||||
10 | Evangeline Edmondson, Rylee Byassee, Jason Ross, Max (Natacha) | ||||||
11 | Duggins, Samuel Duggins, and Nico Santi; her great-great-great | ||||||
12 | nephew, Silas Duggins; and her many friends; therefore, be it
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13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
14 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
15 | we mourn the passing of Thelma Yolonde Byassee Peterson and | ||||||
16 | extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all | ||||||
17 | who knew and loved her; and be it further
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18 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
19 | presented to the family of Yolonde Byassee Peterson as an | ||||||
20 | expression of our deepest sympathy.
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