MEMORIAL-BISHOP DR. C. PORTER

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0596

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Full Text of HR0596

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HR0596 - 104th General Assembly

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HR0596
LRB104 17870 ECR 31306 r
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Bishop
4
Dr. Claude Porter, who passed away on December 30, 2025; and

5

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter, the son of James and Corean
6
Porter, was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 21, 1937; he
7
married Earnestine Walker; he was awarded a doctorate degree
8
in 2002; and

9

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter entered the ministry at the
10
Greater White Stone Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis in
11
1960; later that year, he was ordained and began serving as
12
assistant pastor at Greater Progressive Missionary Baptist
13
Church in Chicago; he founded Proviso Missionary Baptist
14
Church in Maywood in 1972, where he was consecrated and
15
installed as Bishop in 2005, retiring as senior pastor in
16
2016; and

17

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter founded the Proviso Leyden
18
Council for Community Action Inc (PLCCA) in 1968; as Founder,
19
President, and CEO, he grew the Maywood-based nonprofit into a
20
major regional provider of social services, workforce
21
development, youth programming, housing assistance, and energy
22
assistance; he was also the Founder and Chairman emeritus of

HR0596
- 2 -
LRB104 17870 ECR 31306 r
1
the Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network (PTMAN), a
2
founding member and chairman of Interfaith Illinois, the
3
Founder and President of the Porter Family Center, the
4
president of both Maywood Phoenix Homes and Goodell Place
5
Homes, and a member of the Maywood Rotary since 1972; and

6

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter received numerous awards and
7
honors, including the Pioneer Award from HHS Head Start, the
8
Jefferson Award from Honoring Chicago's Unsung Heroes, and the
9
King Legacy Award from American Family Insurance, among
10
others; his lifetime of service was further honored by the
11
Village of Maywood with the creation of a commemorative street
12
sign at the intersection of 5th and Madison; and

13

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter worked to bridge the gap
14
between Chicago-area faith institutions and the area's
15
medical, business, and public service sectors for more than 50
16
years, working alongside elected officials, physicians,
17
hospital executives, and clergy to expand access to
18
screenings, preventive care, and public health education,
19
particularly in Black communities facing disproportionate
20
health risks; and

21

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter was a pastor, an organizer, a
22
nonprofit executive, a mentor, and a coalition builder whose
23
work touched hundreds of thousands of individuals in Illinois

HR0596
- 3 -
LRB104 17870 ECR 31306 r
1
and across the country; and

2

WHEREAS, Bishop Dr. Porter was the husband of Earnestine
3
Porter; the father of the late Debra Ann Strickland, Beverly
4
Smith, and Claudette Harrell; the father-in-law of Jerome
5
Strickland Sr. and Milton Smith; the grandfather of seven; and
6
the great-grandfather of ten; therefore, be it

7

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9
we mourn the passing of Bishop Dr. Claude Porter and extend our
10
sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
11
and loved him; and be it further

12

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13
presented to the family of Bishop Dr. Claude Porter as an
14
expression of our deepest sympathy.

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