HR1227

LRB096 22293 GRL 41295 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of William 
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J. Adelman of Oak Park, who passed away on September 15, 2009; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, He was born on the West Side of Chicago and was a 
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graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park; 
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he received a Bachelor's degree in history from Elmhurst 
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College in 1955 and a Master's degree in American history from 
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the University of Chicago in 1964; and

 

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    WHEREAS, He taught at Jefferson Junior High School in 
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Berwyn in the late 1950s and later Morton West High School in 
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Berwyn; from 1966 to 1991 he taught labor and industrial 
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relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago and later 
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became a professor emeritus at the University's Institute of 
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Labor and Industrial Relations; and

 
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    WHEREAS, William J. Adelman was not only a fierce advocate 
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for the labor movement at the ground level, but also a devoted 
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historian and a preserver of its legacy; indeed, as a renowned 
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labor expert, he was known as "the people's scholar" because of 
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his passion for wanting to teach as many people as possible 
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about the labor movement, its virtues, and its relevance today; 
 


 






HR1227
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LRB096 22293 GRL 41295 r




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and
 
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    WHEREAS, He authored many books on the labor movement in 
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Chicago, including Touring Pullman, Haymarket Revisited, and 
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Pilsen and the West Side; he also helped write and research 
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films, including Packingtown, USA; and he was the narrator of 
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the 1983 documentary about the Pullman Strike of 1894, entitled 
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Palace Cars and Paradise: The Pullman Model Town; and

 
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    WHEREAS, William J. Adelman is survived by his sons, Marc 
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and Michael; his daughters, Michelle, Marguerite, and Jessica; 
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his life partner, David Staley; his ex-wife, Nora; his sister, 
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Sandra Walsh; and his five grandchildren; 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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mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of 
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William J. Adelman; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of William J. Adelman as a symbol of 
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our sincere sympathy.