Full Text of HR0120 103rd General Assembly
HR0120 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Oscar | 4 | | Lawton Wilkerson Jr. of Markham, who passed away on February | 5 | | 8, 2023; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was born in Chicago Heights on | 7 | | February 9, 1926; he graduated from Bloom Township High School | 8 | | in 1944; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson registered for the U.S. Army Air | 10 | | Force; he passed his flight test in 1946, earning his wings and | 11 | | a rank of second lieutenant as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the | 12 | | nation's first Black aviation combat unit; with the recent end | 13 | | of World War II, he was tasked with aiding the postwar cleanup | 14 | | efforts; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson finished his service by flying | 16 | | B-52s to Kingman, Arizona for storage or disassembly in the | 17 | | U.S. military's aircraft "boneyard" and was a lifeguard at an | 18 | | officer's pool; he was also in charge of the officer's club at | 19 | | a base in Columbus, Ohio; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson worked as a freelance | 21 | | photographer most of his life; in 1962, he began a career in |
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| 1 | | radio with WBEE-AM in Harvey, where he was a weekend host known | 2 | | as "Weekend Wilkie" as well as program director and manager of | 3 | | community affairs; he later worked at WMAQ-AM; he retired in | 4 | | 1988; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was the second vice president of | 6 | | the Chicago chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which was called | 7 | | the Dodo Chapter because the founders felt that if they did not | 8 | | preserve the legacy then they would die off like the dodo bird, | 9 | | which went extinct because it lost the ability to fly; as a | 10 | | presenter on Black history and the Tuskegee Airman experience, | 11 | | he frequently told students about the five-point road map that | 12 | | the Tuskegee airmen used to be successful, which included do | 13 | | not fear greatness, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot | 14 | | do something, excel in what you do, remain united and help each | 15 | | other reach a common goal, and with courage and dedication you | 16 | | can overcome adversity; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson's love of aviation never faded; | 18 | | he owned a small single-engine Cessna for years; he delighted | 19 | | in introducing children to aviation by meeting them at the | 20 | | Gary/Chicago Airport and taking them for their first flights, | 21 | | which were free through the Experimental Aircraft | 22 | | Association's Young Eagles Program; and | 23 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was among approximately 300 |
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| 1 | | surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen awarded the | 2 | | Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush; | 3 | | and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was inducted into the Bloom High | 5 | | School Hall of Fame on November 6, 2021; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 7 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 8 | | we mourn the passing of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson Jr. and extend | 9 | | our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who | 10 | | knew and loved him; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to the family of Oscar Wilkerson as an expression of | 13 | | our deepest sympathy.
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