SR0464

LRB096 14667 KXB 29612 r






1

SENATE RESOLUTION


 
2
    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to 
3
learn of the death of William J. Adelman of Oak Park, who 
4
passed away on September 15, 2009; and

 
5
    WHEREAS, He was born on the West Side of Chicago and was a 
6
graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park; 
7
he received a Bachelor's degree in history from Elmhurst 
8
College in 1955 and a Master's degree in American history from 
9
the University of Chicago in 1964; and

 

10
    WHEREAS, He taught at Jefferson Junior High School in 
11
Berwyn in the late 1950s and later Morton West High School in 
12
Berwyn; from 1966 to 1991 he taught labor and industrial 
13
relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago and later 
14
became a professor emeritus at the University's Institute of 
15
Labor and Industrial Relations; and

 
16
    WHEREAS, William J. Adelman was not only a fierce advocate 
17
for the labor movement at the ground level, but also a devoted 
18
historian and a preserver of its legacy; indeed, as a renowned 
19
labor expert, he was known as "the people's scholar" because of 
20
his passion for wanting to teach as many people as possible 
21
about the labor movement, its virtues, and its relevance today; 
22
and
 
 


 






SR0464
- 2 -
LRB096 14667 KXB 29612 r




1
    WHEREAS, He authored many books on the labor movement in 
2
Chicago, including Touring Pullman, Haymarket Revisited, and 
3
Pilsen and the West Side; he also helped write and research 
4
films, including Packingtown, USA; and he was the narrator of 
5
the 1983 documentary about the Pullman Strike of 1894, entitled 
6
Palace Cars and Paradise: The Pullman Model Town; and

 
7
    WHEREAS, William J. Adelman is survived by his sons, Marc 
8
and Michael; his daughters, Michelle, Marguerite, and Jessica; 
9
his life partner, David Staley; his ex-wife, Nora; his sister, 
10
Sandra Walsh; and his five grandchildren; therefore, be it

 
11
    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL 
12
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
13
his family and friends, the passing of William J. Adelman; and 
14
be it further

 
15
    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
16
presented to the family of William J. Adelman as a symbol of 
17
our sincere sympathy.