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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of Robert Leander "Bob" Martin of Chicago, | ||||||
4 | who passed away on July 26, 2018; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Bob Martin was born in Dubuque, Iowa to Dr. Henry | ||||||
6 | Ambrose and Mattie (Ducano) Martin on February 9, 1919; he was | ||||||
7 | the sixth of nine children; he earned Boy Scout merit badges as | ||||||
8 | a Lone Scout, and his interest in golf was sparked while | ||||||
9 | working at a golf club; he also skied, was a ski jumper, and | ||||||
10 | enjoyed traveling; he graduated from Dubuque Senior High | ||||||
11 | School; he earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical | ||||||
12 | Engineering from Iowa State University at Ames; while at Ames, | ||||||
13 | he also earned his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot | ||||||
14 | Training Program; later in life, he studied computer | ||||||
15 | programming; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Bob "Fox" Martin was a fighter pilot with the Army | ||||||
17 | Air Corps during World War II; one of the Tuskegee Airmen, he | ||||||
18 | received his wings in 1944 and was commissioned a 2nd | ||||||
19 | Lieutenant; he served with the 100th Fighter Squadron of the | ||||||
20 | 332nd Fighter Group in the European Theater of Operations; one | ||||||
21 | of the "Red Tails," he flew single-engine planes, including the | ||||||
22 | P-51 Mustang, on long-range bomber escorts and strafing | ||||||
23 | missions to destroy enemy resources; and
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1 | WHEREAS, In March of 1945, during his 64th and final combat | ||||||
2 | mission, Bob Martin's plane was hit by ground fire while | ||||||
3 | strafing the aerodrome at Zagreb, Yugoslavia, now Croatia; he | ||||||
4 | was forced to parachute from his burning plane and was rescued | ||||||
5 | by and spent the next five weeks with the partisans and at an | ||||||
6 | allied mission before he returned to his base in Ramitelli, | ||||||
7 | Italy; he earned several service medals, including the | ||||||
8 | Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal | ||||||
9 | with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters; he was honorably discharged in 1945 | ||||||
10 | as a First Lieutenant; in the Reserves, he rose to the rank of | ||||||
11 | Captain; and
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12 | WHEREAS, After the war, Bob Martin moved to Chicago, where | ||||||
13 | he met Odette Ewell; they married in 1950; he secured a | ||||||
14 | position as an electrical engineer with Chicago's Bureau of | ||||||
15 | Electricity, where he planned and supervised street light | ||||||
16 | installations; he retired as an Electrical Design Engineer | ||||||
17 | after 37 years of service; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Bob Martin was an early member of the Chicago | ||||||
19 | "DODO" Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and he devoted | ||||||
20 | countless hours to preserving the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen | ||||||
21 | and to promoting interest in aviation careers; he spoke to | ||||||
22 | groups about the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen in general, | ||||||
23 | as well as his personal experiences; for many years, he |
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1 | designed and sewed his own elaborate costumes for DODO's annual | ||||||
2 | Mardi Gras Ball; he helped to organize scholarship fundraisers | ||||||
3 | and volunteered with the Young Eagles Flight Program, which | ||||||
4 | provides free flights in small planes to children ages 10 to | ||||||
5 | 17; he garnered many civilian honors, the most notable being | ||||||
6 | the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 and his entry into the | ||||||
7 | United States Congressional Record on June 10, 2013; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Bob Martin was an avid golfer and golfed in all 50 | ||||||
9 | states; he was a member of the Divot's Golf Club, where he held | ||||||
10 | many offices; he was a voracious reader of military aviation | ||||||
11 | history, the Smithsonian magazine, National Geographic, and | ||||||
12 | various engineering journals; he wrote poetry and participated | ||||||
13 | in his residents' poetry group; most recently, he worked | ||||||
14 | extensively with a co-author on a book about his life; he | ||||||
15 | mentored many family members; he had a gregarious soul, a zest | ||||||
16 | for life, a sense of adventure, a quick wit, and a sharp and | ||||||
17 | curious mind; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Bob Martin was preceded in death by his brothers, | ||||||
19 | Clarence, Henry, Thornton, and Joseph; and his three sisters, | ||||||
20 | Lillian, Vivian (Smith), and Hettie (Stevens); and
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21 | WHEREAS, Bob Martin is survived by his wife, Odette Martin, | ||||||
22 | Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, City Colleges of Chicago; his | ||||||
23 | children, Robert Martin Jr., Gabrielle Martin, Noelle Martin, |
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1 | and Dominique Martin; his grandchildren, Robert Martin III and | ||||||
2 | Bradley J. Martin; his sister, Delores Owens; and his many | ||||||
3 | nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, | ||||||
4 | great-grandnephews, other relatives, and friends; therefore, | ||||||
5 | be it
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6 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
7 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
8 | Robert Leander "Bob" Martin and extend our sincere condolences | ||||||
9 | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | ||||||
10 | it further
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11 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
12 | presented to the family of Bob Martin as an expression of our | ||||||
13 | deepest sympathy.
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