HR0508 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0508 LRB096 13221 GRL 27880 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Ira Weinstein of Glencoe on the occasion of his 90th birthday on June 10, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein was born in 1919 in Chicago; during high school, his talent for print communication found expression in the school newspaper; and

WHEREAS, After high school, Ira Weinstein began a promising career in advertising at Goldblatt's department stores, a career which was interrupted by America's entry into World War II; he signed up for officer's school and trained in Texas and Colorado to become an officer in the Army Air Corps, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; just before completing his training as a bombardier-navigator and transferring to overseas duty in 1942, he married Norma Randall, beginning a wonderful marriage that would last until her passing in 1995; and

WHEREAS, After his training, Ira Weinstein joined the 702nd Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force out of Tibbenham, England; he took part in 2 dozen missions as a pilot of a B-24 Liberator; in trying to close out his quota of missions in order to go home to his new bride, he traded his pass for the Jewish High Holidays and took part in one last mission; unfortunately, his last mission was the ill-fated Kassel mission on September 27, 1944, known as the greatest single loss of men and material in the European air war; left without fighter cover, Mr. Weinstein's plane was shot down; after successfully escaping from the plane, he evaded Gestapo search patrols for 6 days until his hunger and fatigue overtook him and he gave himself up at a nearby town; and

WHEREAS, Following his capture, Ira Weinstein was held in Stalag Luft I in Barth, Germany, enduring difficult conditions as winter set in and his captors provided less and less food and shelter to their captives; he remained there until the camp's liberation on May 11, 1945; for his heroism during the war, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the POW Medal, a Presidential Citation, the American Campaign and European Campaign Medals, the WWII Victory Medal, and the French Croix de Guerre; and

WHEREAS, After the war, Ira Weinstein returned to Chicago and took over a small advertising firm, growing Schram Advertising Co. into a nationally known direct marketing firm; he soon moved to Glencoe to raise his daughters, Laura and Terri; after his retirement, he married Mary Gandleman; and

WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein is well known in his community as an expert gardener; his greenhouse has been a neighborhood landmark with blooms surpassed only by the nearby Botanical Gardens; and

WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein has been active with numerous community organizations; he was a founding member of Congregation Solel; he has been a benefactor and supporter of the Women's American ORT and a contributor toward the building of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.; he has also been active with the 8th Air Force Historical Society and has been active in the building of the Kassel Mission Memorial project; and

WHEREAS, Ira Weinstein has served as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ira Weinstein on the occasion of his 90th birthday and wish him many happy and healthy years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ira Weinstein as a symbol of our esteem and respect.