Bill Text: IL SR0775 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Dr. Reginald Sykes.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-08-13 - Resolution Adopted [SR0775 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-SR0775-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of Dr. Reginald Sykes, who passed away on | ||||||
4 | July 25, 2017; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes was born in Chicago to Mattie Bell | ||||||
6 | (Thomas) Williams and Larry James Sykes on September 5, 1939; | ||||||
7 | he graduated from Richard T. Crane Medical Preparatory High | ||||||
8 | School, where he played baseball and developed a love of | ||||||
9 | science; he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from | ||||||
10 | LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he met and | ||||||
11 | married Robbie Jean Mangum; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes joined the Chicago Police Department in | ||||||
13 | the early 1960s and became an officer in the newly established | ||||||
14 | Gang Tactical Unit; having witnessed the impact of economic and | ||||||
15 | educational inequality within his community, he became | ||||||
16 | determined to work to make things better and decided to further | ||||||
17 | his education by obtaining a Master of Business Administration | ||||||
18 | from the
University of Chicago and a medical doctorate from | ||||||
19 | Northwestern University; he was awarded major fellowships in | ||||||
20 | psychiatry from the American Psychiatric
Association and the | ||||||
21 | National Institute of Mental Health; he worked at Rush | ||||||
22 | Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital and
completed his psychiatric | ||||||
23 | residency at The University of Chicago Medical Center; he |
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1 | served as executive
director for the Mid-America Chapter of the | ||||||
2 | American Red Cross; he worked for Abbott Laboratories, | ||||||
3 | reviewing medical and scientific
studies to modify and approve | ||||||
4 | clinical drug trials in both the United States and Canada; | ||||||
5 | while serving as chairman of
the Dialysis Strategy Committee at | ||||||
6 | Abbott, he helped organize, identify, and develop new products,
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7 | supervising clinical trial drug testing for dialysis patients; | ||||||
8 | he then started
his own firm, Quality Research Services, Inc., | ||||||
9 | that identified and recruited diverse African American | ||||||
10 | participants for
important life-saving clinical trials; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes was a member of Ebenezer Missionary | ||||||
12 | Baptist Church; he also visited Apostolic Church of God in
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13 | Christ; he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and | ||||||
14 | an avid fisherman; at least four times a year, he and
his good | ||||||
15 | friend, Walter Dale "Uncle Butch", went to Onalaska Wisconsin, | ||||||
16 | where legend has it that a giant 15-pound
Northern Pike once | ||||||
17 | found its way on to the end of his hook; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes was preceded in death by his wife, | ||||||
19 | Robbie, and his parents; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Dr. Sykes is survived by his children, Regina | ||||||
21 | Sykes (Stephen Hawkins), Rhonda Sykes-Willis (Gregory), | ||||||
22 | Reginald Sykes II (Renee), and
Michael Shelton; his | ||||||
23 | grandchildren, Robbie, Raven, Imani, Robynn, and Reginald III; |
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1 | his brother, Larry Sykes; his very dear and close friends that | ||||||
2 | were like brothers, Joe Davenport,
Walter Dale, Vance Kimber, | ||||||
3 | Dr. Jim Miller, and former mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, Willie | ||||||
4 | Harrington; his good friend, Shirley Cockerham; his caretaker, | ||||||
5 | Chasity Daniels; and numerous friends from coast to coast; | ||||||
6 | therefore, be it
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7 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
8 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
9 | Dr. Reginald Sykes, and extend our sincere condolences to his | ||||||
10 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it | ||||||
11 | further
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12 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
13 | presented to the family of Dr. Sykes as an expression of our | ||||||
14 | deepest sympathy.
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