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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COMMEMORATING THE LIFE, MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND MEMORY OF VOYLE "GENE" BELL
WHEREAS, Voyle "Gene" Bell, pioneering community leader, father figure to countless student s and championship winning basketball star passed away on Thursday, July 9. He has left behind a devoted family, countless athletes, friends and a community enriched for having known him; and
WHEREAS, Gene Bell recognized the deep void left when the City of Evanston cut back its middle-school athletic program in 1968. As a result he helped found the Fellowship of African American Men "FAAM". Not only did FAAM fill the void, it profoundly changed the community and made it a better place. Decades later it remains a much admired and thriving community program that provides good role models for kids, and instills in its athletes the principles of teamwork, discipline and respect for the coaches and officials. Gene Bell was the organization's greatest champion and became known as "Commissioner for Life;" and
WHEREAS, Gene Bell moved to Evanston as a young child. He attended Evanston Township High School where he quickly became an athletic star and local legend on the school's basketball and baseball teams. After graduating he was recruited to attend Upper Iowa University on basketball and baseball scholarships; and
WHEREAS, his education was interrupted by the call of family obligation. Gene Bell returned to Evanston to assist the woman who had raised him, his beloved grandmother Leora Bell, after the passing of her second husband. He credits much of his success to her. "My grandmother made sure I did the right thing. She was the matriarch of our whole family. She meant everything to me;" and,
WHEREAS, Gene Bell accepted employment with Row, Peterson Publishing, which later became Harper & Row. When the business moved to Kansas 16 years later, he started his career at Evanston Township High School, first on the custodial staff and later in security,...
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