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92_HR0379
LRB9208648RHrhA
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 Charlie Soo, who recently passed
5 away; and
6 WHEREAS, Charlie Soo was known as "The Mayor of Argyle"
7 for his hard work and activism in the Asian American
8 community; Mr. Soo was the director of the Asian American
9 Small Businessman Association of Chicago, where he worked on
10 many needs of the community, including licensing, special
11 assessments, curbs and gutters, and other items of concern;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, Charlie Soo was born in 1945 in Hawaii to
14 immigrant Chinese parents from Malaysia; he studied at the
15 College of Emporia in Kansas for his bachelor's degree; he
16 attended the University of Illinois in Chicago for graduate
17 studies and eventually received his master's degree from
18 Roosevelt University; and
19 WHEREAS, Mr. Soo served on the Community Development
20 Advisory Committee and the Illinois Economic Development
21 Commission; and
22 WHEREAS, Mr. Soo became a fixture on Argyle Street in the
23 late 1970s, in the area known as New Chinatown; he worked to
24 have the Chicago Transit Authority invest in a $250,000
25 renovation of the New Chinatown station, which was decorated
26 with pagoda-style features and bright colors; and
27 WHEREAS, Mr. Soo arranged "Taste of Argyle," which was
28 attended by the late Mayor Harold Washington, Mayor Jane
29 Byrne, and current Mayor Richard Daley; he worked to attract
30 businesses and promote their efforts and helped in community
31 policing efforts; and
-2- LRB9208648RHrhA
1 WHEREAS, The passing of the "Mayor of Argyle" Charlie
2 Soo, will be deeply felt by his many friends and the people
3 whose lives he touched; therefore, be it
4 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6 we mourn the passing of Charlie Soo; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 presented to the Asian American Small Businessman Association
9 of Chicago in his honor.