2013 -- S 0168

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LC00893

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF GLORIA HILL SPEARS

     Introduced By: Senators Sheehan, and Hodgson

     Date Introduced: February 05, 2013

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, It is with profound sadness and regret that this Senate has learned of the

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passing of Gloria Hill Spears, a loving wife and mother and a lifelong resident of the Town of

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Narragansett; and

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     WHEREAS, Born in Philadelphia to the late William and Fannie Hill, Mrs. Spears was a

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graduate of Virginia State College, where she earned a degree in Sociology. Following college,

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she was employed at the Providence Department of Public Welfare until moving to Children’s

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Friend and Service in Providence, where she served the children of our state for the next twenty-

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seven years; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1949, Mrs. Spears married the love of her life, Donald H. Spears, at the

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Pond Street Baptist Church in Providence. For more than sixty-three years their marriage

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flourished and was blessed with the addition of their daughters, Linda Susan Spears and Sylvia

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Carolle Spears, and their son, David Hill Spears. Mrs. Spears was also the very proud and doting

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grandmother of Nicole Michelle Minetti and Asa John Peters; and

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     WHEREAS, Upon her retirement in 1984, Mrs. Spears was honored for her service with

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a proclamation from then-Governor J. Joseph Garrahy declaring the celebration of “Gloria Spears

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Day.” In addition, she was appointed as a member of the Electoral College, where she had the

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opportunity to proudly cast one of our state’s four delegate votes for William Clinton; and

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     WHEREAS, At the age of 86, Mrs. Spears once again had the opportunity to observe and

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be a participant in America’s democracy in action when, provided with tickets from Rhode

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Island’s Congressional delegation, she boarded a train in Kingston and made the trip to

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Washington, D.C., to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama as this nation’s first African-

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American President. She was later quoted in the local paper stating, “I got choked up at times…

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There’s so much camaraderie going on here. Oh, the exhilaration, the feeling of being

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connected…”; and

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     WHEREAS, Mrs. Spears dedicated much of her life to the service of others and the

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advancement of social justice and sound political causes. She was active in her community and

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this state through membership and service with the Rhode Island Commission on Minority

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Affairs, the Rhode Island and National Women’s Political Caucus, the Rhode Island Governor’s

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Commission on Mental Health, the Rhode Island League of Women Voters, the White House

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Conference on Families, and the Narragansett Town and Rhode Island Democratic State

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Committees, to name just a few; and

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     WHEREAS, Of particular pride to Mrs. Spears was her role in the founding of the

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Minority Adoption Project and her service on the Board of Directors for Ocean Tides. She was

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also active with the Providence Chapter of C.H.U.M.S., where she had served as National

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Parliamentarian for three years, the Tuskegee Airmen’s Association, and Alpha Kappa Alpha;

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and

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     WHEREAS, Our thoughts and hearts hold great empathy and sorrow for the family of

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Gloria Hill Spears. She truly enriched the lives of all who knew her and she will be dearly missed

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in the community; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby expresses its deepest sympathies on the passing of Gloria Hill Spears; and be it further  

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mr. Donald H. Spears and Family.

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LC00893

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