Anyone who doubts Roland Burris’ qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery.

There, Burris, appointed Tuesday by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments.

Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the word “Trail Blazer,” Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state’s first African-American attorney general and the state’s first African-American comptroller.

The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959.

There appears to be enough room to add “U.S. Senator”‘ to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington.

A Senate Democratic aide told CNN on Wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent Burris from being seated in the Senate.

After Blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint Obama’s successor, Senate Democrats praised Burris but said they could not accept any appointment by Blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges Dec. 9.