IL SR1014

Dr. Charles Eugene Watson of Chicago passed away on November 23, 2012, and the Illinois Senate expresses condolences to his family and friends.

Dr. Watson was born May 16, 1932, in Halls, Tennessee, earned a bachelor's degree from Tennessee State University, served in the U.S. Army-Special Services Division, and received his doctor of dental surgery degree from Meharry Medical College in 1961.

Dr. Watson practiced dentistry on Chicago's south side until 1996, often with his daughters Cheryl and Carla, and participated in civil rights activities including sit-ins in Nashville and the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Watson held leadership positions in the Lincoln Dental Society, Kenwood Hyde Park Dental Society, Chicago Dental Society, Illinois State Dental Society, and the National Dental Association, and worked with lawmakers on dental practice legislation.

Dr. Watson is survived by his wife Sallie (married 8 years), three children, two sisters, one brother, step-daughter, grandchildren, and cousins.