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92_HR0144
LRB9208471RHrhA
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to
4 the family and friends of Dorris J. Pickens, who passed away
5 on March 7, 2001; and
6 WHEREAS, Dorris J. Pickens was born in Brinkley, Arkansas
7 to Novella Sharks; she received her teaching degree and was a
8 member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Philander Smith
9 College; she completed courses in real estate and community
10 development at a number of institutions, including the
11 University of Nebraska where she met her husband, Bob; and
12 WHEREAS, In the 1960s, Mrs. Pickens taught school in
13 Evanston; she later became a bank teller at South Shore Bank,
14 and eventually began working with its nonprofit affiliate,
15 the Neighborhood Institute, a community development
16 institution where she proudly served as President for sixteen
17 years; during her tenure she helped build more than 750 units
18 of affordable housing in the South Shore and Austin
19 communities; and
20 WHEREAS, Mrs. Pickens resigned from her duties at the
21 Neighborhood Institute to start her own real estate
22 development company, DJP Development and Consulting, Ltd.,
23 where she created more housing units in the South Shore and
24 Hyde Park communities with the rehabilitation of
25 condominiums; and
26 WHEREAS, Mrs. Pickens served on numerous boards,
27 including the National Equity Fund and the Illinois
28 Affordable Housing Commission; and
29 WHEREAS, The passing of Dorris J. Pickens will be deeply
30 felt by all who knew and loved her, especially her husband,
31 Bob; her son, Todd; her daughter, Tori; her mother, Novella
-2- LRB9208471RHrhA
1 Sharks; her brothers, Huey, Leroy, and Elijah; her sisters,
2 Irma Sisk and Beverly Wright; her aunt, Marie Elkins; her
3 grandson, Ameer; and her many nieces and nephews; and
4 WHEREAS, Dorris J. Pickens became a visionary and pioneer
5 in non-profit housing development; her compassion and
6 dedication in her work has paved the way for her dream of
7 improving the quality of life for her fellow residents in the
8 South Shore Community to become a reality; therefore, be it
9 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11 we mourn, along with all who knew her, the death of Dorris J.
12 Pickens of Chicago, Illinois; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to the family of Dorris J. Pickens with our sincere
15 condolences.