Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SR0065 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SR0065LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r SR0065 LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
2	2	SR0065 LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
3	3	1 SENATE RESOLUTION
4	4	2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
5	5	3 to learn of the death of Carroll Ray Phelps, Ph.D., who passed
6	6	4 away on November 15, 2024; and
7	7	5 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was born to Cecil and Hazel Phelps in
8	8	6 Texas City on January 3, 1946; and
9	9	7 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was the bass singer and comedic relief
10	10	8 for The Phelps Brothers, a gospel quartet that included his
11	11	9 three brothers and was formed after they competed in and won a
12	12	10 talent contest in 1955; they spent the next 65-plus years
13	13	11 singing gospel music all over the United States and sang
14	14	12 full-time professionally from 1972 to 1978, during which they
15	15	13 toured with other well-known gospel groups, including The Oak
16	16	14 Ridge Boys, The Stamps Quartet, and The Blackwood Brothers
17	17	15 Quartet; during their musical career, they were nominated as
18	18	16 Best New Group by the Gospel Music Association in 1973 and were
19	19	17 also the first gospel group to sing at the new Grand Ole Opry
20	20	18 in Nashville, Tennessee; and
21	21	19 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was a leader in the field of
22	22	20 education, both as a teacher and an administrator, becoming
23	23	21 known for constantly seeking ways to improve the educational
24	24	22 process and implementing many programs to benefit the learning
25	25
26	26
27	27
28	28	SR0065 LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
29	29
30	30
31	31	SR0065- 2 -LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r SR0065 - 2 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
32	32	SR0065 - 2 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
33	33	1 environment of his students; he began his teaching career at
34	34	2 Eldorado High School (EHS); he served as president of the
35	35	3 Eldorado teachers' union in the early 1970s and led one of the
36	36	4 first teachers' strikes in the State of Illinois; he became
37	37	5 principal of EHS in 1988; during his tenure, he opened a child
38	38	6 care center located inside the school, allowing students with
39	39	7 young children to continue their studies and thereby ensuring
40	40	8 many obtained their high school diplomas; and
41	41	9 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps became superintendent of Gallatin
42	42	10 County Schools after earning his Ph.D. in Education from
43	43	11 Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1996; while there,
44	44	12 he recognized that students and their families lacked access
45	45	13 to medical care, leading him to coordinate with a health
46	46	14 system in Evansville, Indiana to create the Gallatin County
47	47	15 Wellness Center, which has been providing primary care
48	48	16 services for the Gallatin County community since 2003; near
49	49	17 the end of his career, he became a faculty member and professor
50	50	18 at Oakland City University in Indiana, where he started a
51	51	19 Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) doctoral program, before
52	52	20 concluding his career as superintendent of Hardin County
53	53	21 Schools; and
54	54	22 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was devoted to his faith throughout
55	55	23 his entire life and was a member of Star General Baptist
56	56	24 Church, where he was the longest-serving member prior to his
57	57
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
62	62	SR0065 - 2 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
63	63
64	64
65	65	SR0065- 3 -LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r SR0065 - 3 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
66	66	SR0065 - 3 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
67	67	1 death and served in many capacities, including as a choir
68	68	2 member, the Sunday school superintendent, a Sunday school
69	69	3 teacher, and a member of numerous committees; and
70	70	4 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps kept very close relationships with his
71	71	5 sons and especially enjoyed spending time with his family at
72	72	6 church and family dinners on Sundays; he and his wife were
73	73	7 inseparable, and they loved doing things together; he and his
74	74	8 brothers were each other's best friends, and they enjoyed
75	75	9 having dinner together with their wives in Marion on Friday
76	76	10 nights; he dearly loved his grandchildren and enjoyed
77	77	11 attending their sporting events, recitals, and plays; and
78	78	12 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps was preceded in death by his parents;
79	79	13 and
80	80	14 WHEREAS, Dr. Phelps is survived by his wife, Chris Phelps;
81	81	15 his sons, Kelly (Kelly Lynne) Phelps and Aaron (Arianne)
82	82	16 Phelps; his grandchildren, Kennedy Carroll (Dallas Cockrum)
83	83	17 Cockrum, Kole Phelps, Victoria "Tori" Phelps, and Jake Phelps;
84	84	18 his great-grandchild, Lyncoln Rae Cockrum; his brothers, Larry
85	85	19 (Kathy) Phelps, David (Leslie) Phelps, and Dennis Michael
86	86	20 "Mike" (Barbara) Phelps; his brother-in-law, Mark Bauer;
87	87	21 numerous nieces and nephews; and a special friend to the
88	88	22 family, Sue Easton; therefore, be it
89	89
90	90
91	91
92	92
93	93
94	94	SR0065 - 3 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
95	95
96	96
97	97	SR0065- 4 -LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r SR0065 - 4 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
98	98	SR0065 - 4 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r
99	99	1 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
100	100	2 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
101	101	3 Carroll Ray Phelps, Ph.D. and extend our sincere condolences
102	102	4 to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
103	103	5 it further
104	104
105	105
106	106
107	107
108	108
109	109	SR0065 - 4 - LRB104 11903 LAW 21994 r