Bill Text: IL HR1515 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Deborah M. Sawyer.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-11-30 - Resolution Adopted [HR1515 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HR1515-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 Deborah | ||||||
4 | M. Sawyer, who passed away on August 7, 2016 at the age of 60; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer was the founder, President, and CEO | ||||||
7 | of Chicago-based Environmental Design International (EDI); for | ||||||
8 | over 25 years, she inspired countless women and minority | ||||||
9 | business owners; she broke the glass ceiling for black women in | ||||||
10 | the engineering and environmental fields of science; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer earned a Bachelor of Arts in | ||||||
12 | political science from Emory University and a Master of Science | ||||||
13 | in petroleum microbiology from Eastern New Mexico University; | ||||||
14 | and
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15 | WHEREAS, Under the leadership of Deborah Sawyer, EDI grew | ||||||
16 | to over 70 employees and continues to provide engineering and | ||||||
17 | environmental consulting services to governmental agencies and | ||||||
18 | Fortune 500 companies, and is a certified Woman and | ||||||
19 | Minority-Owned Business Enterprise; and
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20 | WHEREAS, In 2012, Deborah Sawyer was one of five | ||||||
21 | entrepreneurs who received the Green Award from Chicago |
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1 | Magazine after demonstrating that good business sense and | ||||||
2 | protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive; she was | ||||||
3 | also central in securing EDI's role as Engineer of Record for | ||||||
4 | Exelon City Solar, the largest urban solar power plant in the | ||||||
5 | United States; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer and EDI won and finished a prime | ||||||
7 | contract as part of the Illinois Department of Transportation's | ||||||
8 | more than $900 million reconstruction project to rebuild and | ||||||
9 | widen the local and express lanes on the I-90/94 Dan Ryan | ||||||
10 | Expressway in Chicago; EDI provided construction engineering | ||||||
11 | and inspection services for the improvements of 5.1 miles of | ||||||
12 | I-90/94 northbound local and express lanes from 71st Street to | ||||||
13 | 31st Street; the construction costs for this segment were more | ||||||
14 | than $100 million and it was one of the first major African | ||||||
15 | American-only prime engineering contracts for a highway | ||||||
16 | project in the United States; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer and EDI received many local, State, | ||||||
18 | and national awards, including the Illinois Black Chamber of | ||||||
19 | Commerce Outstanding Business of the Year Award in 2013, the | ||||||
20 | U.S. Small Business Association Minority Small Business of the | ||||||
21 | Year Award, the State Farm Phenomenal Woman Award, the Chicago | ||||||
22 | Women of Achievement Award, the ACEC-IIlinois Engineers | ||||||
23 | Community Service Award, and the Women's Business Enterprise | ||||||
24 | National Council Woman-Owned Business Star Award; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer showed unwavering commitment to | ||||||
2 | service in Chicago; she served on many charitable boards and | ||||||
3 | dedicated her free time to the students at the Young Women's | ||||||
4 | Leadership Charter School of Chicago, encouraging them to | ||||||
5 | pursue studies in science and engineering; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer was a friend and neighbor of | ||||||
7 | President Barack Obama in the Kenwood-Hyde Park neighborhood; | ||||||
8 | she maintained a longtime and close relationship with the | ||||||
9 | President; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Deborah Sawyer is survived by her mother, Betty P. | ||||||
11 | Sawyer; her sister, Leslie J. Sawyer (Rick Redmon); her | ||||||
12 | brother, Dr. William Gregory Sawyer (Dr. Rita Gloria Sawyer); | ||||||
13 | and her beloved pets; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
15 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
16 | express our sorrow at the death of Deborah M. Sawyer and join | ||||||
17 | her family and community in mourning the loss of this great | ||||||
18 | trailblazer of women in engineering,; and be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | presented to the family of Deborah Sawyer as an expression of | ||||||
21 | our sympathy.
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