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| | HR0120 | | LRB103 31313 MST 58639 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of |
| 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Oscar |
| 4 | | Lawton Wilkerson Jr. of Markham, who passed away on February |
| 5 | | 8, 2023; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was born in Chicago Heights on |
| 7 | | February 9, 1926; he graduated from Bloom Township High School |
| 8 | | in 1944; and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson registered for the U.S. Army Air |
| 10 | | Force; he passed his flight test in 1946, earning his wings and |
| 11 | | a rank of second lieutenant as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the |
| 12 | | nation's first Black aviation combat unit; with the recent end |
| 13 | | of World War II, he was tasked with aiding the postwar cleanup |
| 14 | | efforts; and
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| 15 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson finished his service by flying |
| 16 | | B-52s to Kingman, Arizona for storage or disassembly in the |
| 17 | | U.S. military's aircraft "boneyard" and was a lifeguard at an |
| 18 | | officer's pool; he was also in charge of the officer's club at |
| 19 | | a base in Columbus, Ohio; and
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| 20 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson worked as a freelance |
| 21 | | photographer most of his life; in 1962, he began a career in |
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| | HR0120 | - 2 - | LRB103 31313 MST 58639 r |
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| 1 | | radio with WBEE-AM in Harvey, where he was a weekend host known |
| 2 | | as "Weekend Wilkie" as well as program director and manager of |
| 3 | | community affairs; he later worked at WMAQ-AM; he retired in |
| 4 | | 1988; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was the second vice president of |
| 6 | | the Chicago chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which was called |
| 7 | | the Dodo Chapter because the founders felt that if they did not |
| 8 | | preserve the legacy then they would die off like the dodo bird, |
| 9 | | which went extinct because it lost the ability to fly; as a |
| 10 | | presenter on Black history and the Tuskegee Airman experience, |
| 11 | | he frequently told students about the five-point road map that |
| 12 | | the Tuskegee airmen used to be successful, which included do |
| 13 | | not fear greatness, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot |
| 14 | | do something, excel in what you do, remain united and help each |
| 15 | | other reach a common goal, and with courage and dedication you |
| 16 | | can overcome adversity; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson's love of aviation never faded; |
| 18 | | he owned a small single-engine Cessna for years; he delighted |
| 19 | | in introducing children to aviation by meeting them at the |
| 20 | | Gary/Chicago Airport and taking them for their first flights, |
| 21 | | which were free through the Experimental Aircraft |
| 22 | | Association's Young Eagles Program; and
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| 23 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was among approximately 300 |
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| | HR0120 | - 3 - | LRB103 31313 MST 58639 r |
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| 1 | | surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen awarded the |
| 2 | | Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush; |
| 3 | | and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was inducted into the Bloom High |
| 5 | | School Hall of Fame on November 6, 2021; therefore, be it
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| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
| 7 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
| 8 | | we mourn the passing of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson Jr. and extend |
| 9 | | our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who |
| 10 | | knew and loved him; and be it further
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| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
| 12 | | presented to the family of Oscar Wilkerson as an expression of |
| 13 | | our deepest sympathy.
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