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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Edward
4L. "Buzz" Palmer of Chicago, who passed away on April 11, 2021;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Edward Palmer was born in Englewood and graduated
7from Lindblom High School; after high school, he served in the
8Air Force where he learned to speak German, and his duties
9included monitoring radio communications in East Germany and
10behind the Iron Curtain; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Edward Palmer worked in law enforcement and
12headed Chicago's Sister Cities program during Mayor Harold
13Washington's administration; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Edward Palmer helped found Chicago's
15Afro-American Patrolmen's League (AAPL) in 1968 after the
16assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; in response
17to the unrest after King's assassination, Mayor Richard J.
18Daley issued an order to shoot to kill arsonists, which was a
19declaration praised by the Fraternal Order of Police; the AAPL
20opposed the order and were given punitive assignments in
21response; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The stories of the founding members of the AAPL
2helped inspire what has been dubbed TV's first soul soap opera
3"Bird of the Iron Feather"; premiering on WTTW in 1970, it
4featured storylines about poverty, predatory credit practices,
5street gangs, and pressures Black officers faced navigating a
6White-dominated department amid growing calls for Black
7liberation; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Along with his wife, former State Senator Alice
9Palmer, he co-founded the Black Press Institute and also
10helped start an international news digest, the Black Press
11Review; he helped organize gatherings for Black journalists to
12meet newsmakers, including United Nations Secretary-General
13Kofi Annan; he helped revive the Black United Fund, a
14not-for-profit organization, and headed COMPRAND, a community
15health agency that worked to boost Black enrollment in medical
16schools; he also arranged international internships for
17Chicago undergraduates; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Edward Palmer had a raucous laugh that people
19would recognize when he and his wife ate breakfast at a
20favorite haunt, Chef Sara's Cafe in South Shore; he will be
21especially remembered as a community activist who tried to
22connect people around the world who saw the Black struggle in
23America as an impetus for change; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Edward Palmer is survived by his wife, Alice; his
2daughters, Lisa Russell and Zella Palmer; his sisters, Ruth
3Long and Caroline Hudson; and his seven grandchildren;
4therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we mourn the passing of Edward L. "Buzz" Palmer and extend our
8sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew
9and loved him; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of Edward Palmer as an expression of
12our deepest sympathy.