HR1227 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1227 LRB096 22293 GRL 41295 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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