1
___________________________ ______________________________ 1
Councilmember Matthew Frumin Councilmember Charles Allen 2
3
4
___________________________ ______________________________ 5
Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Anita Bonds 6
7
8
______________________________ ___________________________ 9
Councilmember Christina Henderson Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie 10
11
12
______________________________ 13
Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 14
15
16
17
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION 18
19
______ 20
21
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 22
23
______________ 24
25
26
To recognize and honor the life and accomplishments of Admiral Jim Toole. 27
28
WHEREAS, Admiral Morton “Jim” Toole was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on 29
February 14, 1937; 30
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole’s father, who was a career Army officer and who retired as a 31
colonel, earned the Legion of Merit during World War II, and later moved the family to Menlo 32
Park, California; 33
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole, according to his daughter, said that he wanted to go into the 34
Navy and make his career there because his father already had a successful career in the Army; 35
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole studied American history at the University of California at Los 36
Angeles, serving in the Navy ROTC, and received his Bachelor’s degree and commission in 1957; 37
2
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole spent 6 years at sea with the Navy before moving to the District 38
to work on guided-missile systems, and he took night classes at American University to receive a 39
Master’s degree in International Relations; 40
WHEREAS, when Adm. Toole graduated from American University in 1966, he had been 41
assigned to Vietnam, where he commanded more than 50 American patrol boats on the Mekong 42
River and earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star; 43
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole later commanded a radar-picket destroyer, guided-missile 44
frigate, and guided-missile cruiser before retiring from the Navy in 1987; 45
WHEREAS, by the early 1990s, Adm. Toole began frequenting Capitol Hill Books, opened 46
and founded by Bill Kerr in 1991, and located in the Eastern Market neighborhood in a three-floor 47
rowhouse; 48
WHEREAS, after Mr. Kerr passed away in 1994, Adm. Toole bought the store in 1995 49
from Mr. Kerr’s sister; 50
WHEREAS, during his tenure as owner of Capitol Hill Books, he became known for his 51
charmingly grumpy presence at the front desk and filling the store with books in every conceivable 52
space, with fiction upstairs, nonfiction on the ground level, sports and science-fiction in the 53
basement, cookbooks in the former kitchen sink, and foreign language books in the bathroom; 54
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was also known for his system of “controlled disorganization”, 55
as he would refer to it, arranging books in tall stacks and naming them “Tolkien Tower” and 56
“Wacko Stacko”, which housed books by right-wing personalities; 57
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was also known for requiring order and decorum at Capitol Hill 58
Books, banning the wearing of backpacks and cellphone conversations inside the store, and having 59
a list of “banned words” from conversation, such as the use of the words “perfect,” “awesome,” 60
3
“like,” and “totally”; 61
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole’s sense of humor and unique, old-fashioned approach to sales – 62
he used a pencil to record each transaction – earnedhim a devoted following; 63
WHEREAS, in July 2018, Adm. Toole sold Capitol Hill Books to long-time employees 64
and friends of the store, noting that the new owners shared his vision for preserving Capitol Hill 65
Books as an independent bookstore and ensuring that the business maintains its place as a literary 66
hub for the community; 67
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was known for his wit, charming curmudgeoness, and generosity, 68
all of which contributed to Capitol Hill Books becoming as a staple in the Capitol Hill community 69
and a nationally-known, eclectic bookstore; 70
WHEREAS, Adm. Toole tragically passed away on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2023, 71
and is survived by his wife, daughter, three stepchildren, and six grandchildren; 72
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this 73
resolution may be cited as the "Jim Toole Posthumous Recognition Resolution of 2023". 74
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the life and 75
accomplishments of Admiral Jim Toole. 76
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 77