HR0508

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are pleased to congratulate Ira Weinstein of 
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Glencoe on the occasion of his 90th birthday on June 10, 2009; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein was born in 1919 in Chicago; during 
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high school, his talent for print communication found 
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expression in the school newspaper; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After high school, Ira Weinstein began a promising 
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career in advertising at Goldblatt's department stores, a 
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career which was interrupted by America's entry into World War 
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II; he signed up for officer's school and trained in Texas and 
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Colorado to become an officer in the Army Air Corps, rising to 
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the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; just before completing his 
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training as a bombardier-navigator and transferring to 
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overseas duty in 1942, he married Norma Randall, beginning a 
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wonderful marriage that would last until her passing in 1995; 
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and
 
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    WHEREAS, After his training, Ira Weinstein joined the 702nd 
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Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force out of 
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Tibbenham, England; he took part in 2 dozen missions as a pilot 
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of a B-24 Liberator; in trying to close out his quota of 
 


 






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missions in order to  go home to his new bride, he traded his 
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pass for the Jewish High Holidays and took part in one last 
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mission; unfortunately, his last mission was the ill-fated 
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Kassel mission on September 27, 1944, known as the greatest 
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single loss of men and material in the European air war; left 
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without fighter cover, Mr. Weinstein's plane was shot down; 
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after successfully escaping from the plane, he evaded Gestapo 
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search patrols for 6 days until his hunger and fatigue overtook 
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him and he gave himself up at a nearby town; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Following his capture, Ira Weinstein was held in 
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Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany, enduring difficult conditions 
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as winter set in and his captors provided less and less food 
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and shelter to their captives; he remained there until the 
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camp's liberation on May 11, 1945; for his heroism during the 
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war, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the POW 
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Medal, a Presidential Citation, the American Campaign and 
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European Campaign Medals, the WWII Victory Medal, and the 
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French Croix de Guerre; and
 
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    WHEREAS, After the war, Ira Weinstein returned to Chicago 
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and took over a small advertising firm, growing Schram 
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Advertising Co. into a nationally known direct marketing firm; 
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he soon moved to Glencoe to raise his daughters, Laura and 
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Terri; after his retirement, he married Mary Gandleman; and

 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein is well known in his community as an 
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expert gardener; his greenhouse has been a neighborhood 
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landmark with blooms surpassed only by the nearby Botanical 
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Gardens; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein has been active with numerous 
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community organizations; he was a founding member of 
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Congregation Solel; he has been a benefactor and supporter of 
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the Women's American ORT and a contributor toward the building 
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of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.; he has also been 
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active with the 8th Air Force Historical Society and has been 
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active in the building of the Kassel Mission Memorial project; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein has served as a model of hard work, 
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integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of 
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Illinois; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate Ira Weinstein on the occasion of his 90th birthday 
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and wish him many happy and healthy years to come; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Ira Weinstein as a symbol of our esteem and 
 


 






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respect.