Full Text of SR0553 101st General Assembly
SR0553 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of J.W. Pirtle, who passed away on June 15, | 4 | | 2019; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, J. W. Pirtle was born in Bolivar, Tennessee to | 6 | | Will and Nishie Pirtle on December 22, 1931; he graduated from | 7 | | Bruce High School in Dyersburg, Tennessee in 1949; during the | 8 | | summer of 1951, he moved to Champaign; in 1952, he joined the | 9 | | United States Army, where he oversaw the U.S. Base Motor Pool, | 10 | | and served honorably; he married Alice Burge in 1961; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Upon completion of his tour of duty, J.W. Pirtle | 12 | | began working as a body and fender repairman at the Danna | 13 | | Huddlerson Ford Company; he then realized he needed more formal | 14 | | training and enrolled in Greenleaf Trade School in Chicago, | 15 | | where he studied auto mechanics and management; he also | 16 | | completed a 12-month program in body and fender repair; in | 17 | | 1956, he purchased property and established his business as the | 18 | | first Black man in Champaign to own and operate a Shell Gas | 19 | | Station; in 1963, he opened Pirtle's Restaurant; in 1967, he | 20 | | opened the Central Cab Company and a body and fender shop at | 21 | | the same location; he was the first Black man to own limousines | 22 | | in Champaign, as well as the first taxi service to utilize | 23 | | station wagons and vans; in 1976, he began working for the |
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| 1 | | State in the Department of Central Management Services as | 2 | | Manager, State of Illinois Motor Pool; he retired from that | 3 | | position in 2000; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, In 1989, J.W. Pirtle became a co-owner of the | 5 | | radio station WBCP Soul, which was the only Black-owned station | 6 | | East of the Mississippi River and South of Kankakee; WBCP Radio | 7 | | was nominated for a Stellar Award in the Small Market Radio | 8 | | Group in 2016; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle was a pitcher in the National Negro | 10 | | Baseball League with the Minor League Champaign Eagles; he | 11 | | often spoke about how, as baseball players, their teams were | 12 | | welcomed at the Chicago White Sox stadium during the Civil | 13 | | Rights Movement; he continued to be an avid lover of the sport; | 14 | | and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle was a member of St. Luke CME Church | 16 | | for more than 50 years and served as the Senior Usher on the | 17 | | Usher Board and as a member of the board of trustees; he was a | 18 | | devoted husband and father; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle was preceded in death by his parents; | 20 | | his wife, Alice; his son, Michael Pirtle; his brothers, Alvin | 21 | | LaSalle and James Edward Pirtle; and his sister, Lue Lena | 22 | | Pirtle McDaniel; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle is survived by his children and | 2 | | grandchildren, Justin Michael (Michael), Terrence Aljay | 3 | | (Yvette), Alliyah Lee (Eric), and Jaelyn Alyssa (Pamela); his | 4 | | sisters, Lois Pirtle, Ether Made Huffman, Katherine McKutchen, | 5 | | and Marvarine Pirtle; and several nieces, nephews, other family | 6 | | members, and friends; therefore, be it
| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 9 | | J.W. Pirtle and extend our sincere condolences to his family, | 10 | | friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of J.W. Pirtle as an expression of our | 13 | | deepest sympathy.
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