Full Text of HR0456 103rd General Assembly
HR0456 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0456 | | LRB103 34877 LAW 64742 r |
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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 Captain | 4 | | William "Bill" Pinkney of Chicago, who passed away on August | 5 | | 31, 2023; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney was born to Marion Henderson and | 7 | | William Deltorius Pinkney in Chicago on September 15, 1935; he | 8 | | served as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to | 9 | | 1964; he became a licensed master of steam, power, and sail | 10 | | vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1986; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Prior to his sailing career, Capt. Pinkney was | 12 | | largely involved in the cosmetics industry, first working as a | 13 | | freelance make-up artist before becoming a marketing manager | 14 | | for Revlon in 1973 and director of marketing for Johnson | 15 | | Products Company in 1977; he then became director of public | 16 | | information for the City of Chicago's Department of Human | 17 | | Services in 1980; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney became the first Black sailor to | 19 | | solo-circumnavigate the world by way of Cape Horn, Hornos | 20 | | Island, Chile; he embarked on his solo voyage on his cutter The | 21 | | Commitment from Boston, Massachusetts in 1990, and his journey | 22 | | spanned 27,000 miles and lasted 22 months; he then set out on |
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| 1 | | the vessel Sortilege to retrace the Middle Passage slave trade | 2 | | routes with his crew and a team of teachers in partnership with | 3 | | PBS and several corporations to both develop a curriculum on | 4 | | the Atlantic slave trade and create a television special; from | 5 | | 2000 to 2003, he served as the first captain of the Amistad, a | 6 | | replica schooner of the 1839 vessel better known as the | 7 | | freedom revolt ship; he also captained the catamaran Lady Dee; | 8 | | in more recent years, he ran a charter boat business in | 9 | | Fajardo, Puerto Rico, taking tourists on cruises throughout | 10 | | the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney authored three books, his | 12 | | award-winning, 2006 autobiography As Long as it Takes, his | 13 | | 1994 children's book Captain Bill Pinkney's Journey, and his | 14 | | 2022 children's book Sailing Commitment Around the World; he | 15 | | was also a motivational/inspirational speaker; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney served on the boards of several | 17 | | organizations, including the Mystic Seaport Museum, the | 18 | | National Maritime Historical Society, and the American Sail | 19 | | Training Association; he also belonged to the Belmont Yacht | 20 | | Club as a commodore, the New York Yacht Club, and the | 21 | | International Association of Cape Horners; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney received numerous honors and | 23 | | awards, including being named the 1992 Yachtsman of the Year |
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| 1 | | by the Chicago Yacht Club and the 1999 Chicagoan of the Year by | 2 | | Chicago magazine, inducted into the National Sailing Hall of | 3 | | Fame and receiving its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, | 4 | | receiving the America and the Sea Award from the Mystic | 5 | | Seaport Museum in 2022, and earning honorary doctoral degrees | 6 | | from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Southern Connecticut | 7 | | State University, and Becker College; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney was a great husband, father, | 9 | | mentor, and friend; he will be remembered for his adventurous | 10 | | spirit and his courage in following his dreams; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Capt. Pinkney is survived by his wife, Migdalia | 12 | | Vachier Pinkney; his daughter, Angela Walton; his sister, | 13 | | Naomi Pinkney; and two grandchildren; therefore, be it | 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 15 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we mourn the passing of Captain William "Bill" Pinkney and | 17 | | extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all | 18 | | who knew and loved him; and be it further | 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the family of Capt. Pinkney as an expression of | 21 | | our deepest sympathy. |
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