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91_HR0408
LRB9107783KBcb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to
4 the family and friends of William Harold Walker, who recently
5 passed away; and
6 WHEREAS, William Walker was born in Carbondale, Illinois
7 on June 6, 1915; he married his wife, Viola, in 1943; and
8 WHEREAS, William Walker was a graduate of Attucks Grade
9 School and High School in Carbondale; he graduated from
10 Southern Illinois Teachers College in 1937 with a Bachelors
11 of Science in Education; his first job as a teacher was at a
12 one room school in Perks, Illinois; he then taught sixth,
13 seventh, and eighth grade math, science, social studies, and
14 English, as well as coaching boy's basketball in Marion,
15 Illinois; he remained there until enlisting in the United
16 States Army in 1940; and
17 WHEREAS, William Walker first applied to the Army Air
18 Corps, but was refused admission based on color; he then
19 volunteered for Army Engineers in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, and
20 received a call to Tuskegee, Alabama, as a member of the 99th
21 Pursuit Squadron; he graduated as a Second Lieutenant as a
22 fighter pilot in 1943 and was sent to the Italian Theater of
23 War as a member of the 332nd Fighter Squadron; he remained in
24 the Italian Theater until the end of the war, and then
25 returned to Carbondale and enrolled in Southern Illinois
26 University; and
27 WHEREAS, After earning his Master's degree in School
28 Administration, William Walker took a position as principal
29 of Lincoln Grade School in Centralia; he remained as
30 principal until his retirement in 1975; and
31 WHEREAS, William Walker and his wife were members of
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1 Second Baptist Church; William Walker served as Sunday School
2 teacher, and an Ordained Deacon serving as Chairman of the
3 Deacon Board and teacher of an adult couples Sunday School
4 class at the time of his passing; William Walker also served
5 as Sunday School Superintendent for many years; and
6 WHEREAS, William Walker received many awards during the
7 years, including: a plaque for his work in soil conservation;
8 Outstanding Citizen of the Year from the Jaycees, as well as
9 being named Grand Marshall for the Annual Halloween Parade;
10 induction into the 101 Club of Southern Illinois University;
11 the Federation of Club Women Award; the CUP Award; induction
12 into the Centralia Historical Hall of Fame; and a Certificate
13 of Recognition of Black Achievement in the Field of Education
14 by the NAACP; and
15 WHEREAS, William Walker is survived by his wife, Viola;
16 his son, William; his brother James and wife, Thelma; his
17 cousins, Julian and Beulah Wilson, and Kelly Wilson of
18 Detroit, Michigan; Marguerite Burton, Winona Bish of
19 Springfield, Illinois; his nieces, Betty Franklin and
20 husband, George, Mae Brooks, Lois Butler and husband, Gerald,
21 Loise (Jesse) Perkins, Constance (McKinley) Rounds, Florence
22 Robinson, Lola Hendricks (Herman), Walter Wilson Crim and
23 wife, Wanda, and Dr. Alonzo Crim and wife, Gwendolyn;
24 therefore, be it
25 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
26 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
27 we mourn, along with his family and friends, the death of
28 William Walker of Centralia, Illinois; he will be remembered
29 for his dedication to education and his church, and his love
30 for his family; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
32 presented to the family of William Walker.