As Offered
135th General Assembly
Regular Session H. R. No. 667
2023-2024
Speaker Stephens, Representatives Russo, Brent, Abdullahi, Abrams, Baker,
Barhorst, Bird, Blackshear, Brennan, Brewer, Brown, Callender, Carruthers,
Claggett, Click, Creech, Cross, Daniels, Dean, Dell'Aquila, Demetriou, Denson,
Dobos, Edwards, Ferguson, Fischer, Forhan, Fowler Arthur, Ghanbari, Grim,
Gross, Hall, Hillyer, Holmes, Hoops, Humphrey, Isaacsohn, Jarrells, John,
Johnson, Jones, Kick, King, Klopfenstein, Lampton, LaRe, Lear, Lipps, Liston,
Lorenz, Loychik, Manchester, Manning, Mathews, McClain, McNally, Merrin, Miller,
A., Miller, J., Miller, K., Miller, M., Mohamed, Oelslager, Patton, Pavliga, Peterson,
Piccolantonio, Pizzulli, Plummer, Powell, Ray, Richardson, Robb Blasdel,
Robinson, Roemer, Rogers, Santucci, Schmidt, Seitz, Sims, Skindell, Somani,
Stein, Stewart, Stoltzfus, Swearingen, Sweeney, Thomas, C., Thomas, J., Troy,
Upchurch, Weinstein, White, Whitted, Wiggam, Williams, Willis, Young, T.
A RESOLUTION
In memory of Carolyn Jean Prentiss.
WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 135th 1
General Assembly of Ohio wish to offer our deepest sympathy to the 2
family and many friends of Carolyn Jean Prentiss on the sorrowful 3
occasion of her death; and 4
WHEREAS, C.J. Prentiss will be remembered fondly by all those who 5
knew her, and her absence will leave an irreparable void in our 6
society. Widely respected for her tenure with the Ohio General 7
Assembly, she was an advocate for the growth and progress of the State 8
of Ohio and its people, and over the course of her sixteen years as a 9
legislator, she served in both the Ohio House of Representatives and 10
the Ohio Senate, where she held the positions of minority whip and 11
minority leader. In addition, she was the first female president of 12
H. R. No. 667 Page 2
As Offered
the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, and her tremendous experience as an 13
elected official, having served under five governors, and her devotion 14
to duty gained her the appreciation of her colleagues and constituents 15
alike; and 16
WHEREAS, C.J. Prentiss’ passion for community service was always 17
evident in her own approach to public life, and she dedicated her time 18
to such organizations as WELCOME, the Cleveland Rainbow Coalition, 19
Policy Matters Ohio, the C.J. Prentiss Emerging Leaders Project, the 20
Zinn Education Project, and Hiawatha Church of God and Christ. The 21
recipient of numerous accolades, she was admired by her fellow 22
citizens, friends, and family alike for her positive philosophy of 23
life, and she inspired countless Ohioans to dedicate themselves to 24
public service; and 25
WHEREAS, In her numerous roles as a wife, mother, grandmother, 26
public servant, and community leader, C.J. Prentiss led an exemplary 27
life, and she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the 28
quality of life in our society. Most assuredly, the State of Ohio has 29
benefited exponentially from her work, and she will be remembered for 30
her visionary example of citizenship; therefore be it 31
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of 32
the 135th General Assembly of Ohio, in adopting this Resolution, pay 33
tribute to the memory of a truly honorable woman, Carolyn Jean 34
Prentiss; and be it further 35
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit 36
a duly authenticated copy of this Resolution to the family of Carolyn 37
Jean Prentiss. 38