Roland Burris, Trail Blazer
Burris is still living, but his monument has already been installed at Oak Woods
Roland Burris was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois. He was Comptroller of Illinois from 1979 to 1991, and Attorney General of Illinois from 1991 to 1995.
On December 30, 2008, the Governor of Illinois announced that Burris would replace President Barack Obama in the United States Senate. He was sworn in as Senator, 15 January 2009.