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District Of Columbia Council Bill CER25-0156

District Of Columbia 2023-2024 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill CER25-0156 Compare Versions

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1- ENROLLED ORIGINAL
1+
22 1
3-
4-
5-A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
6-
7-25-156
8-
9-IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
10-
11-December 5, 2023
12-
13-To recognize and honor the life and accomplishments of Admiral Jim Toole .
14-
15-WHEREAS, Admiral Morton “Jim” Toole was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on
16-February 14, 1937;
17- WHEREAS, Adm. Toole’s father, who was a career Army officer and who retired as a
18-colonel, earned the Legion of Merit during World War II, and later moved the family to Menlo
19-Park, California;
20-
21-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole, according to his daughter, said that he wanted to go into the
22-Navy and make his career there because his father already had a successful career in the Army ;
23-
24-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole studied American history at the University of California at Los
25-Angeles, serving in the Navy ROTC, and received his Bachelor’s degree and commission in 1957;
26-
27-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole spent 6 years at sea with the Navy before moving to the District
28-to work on guided- missile systems, and he took night classes at American University to receive a
29-Master’s degree in International Relations;
30-
31-WHEREAS, when Adm. Toole graduated from American University in 1966, he had been
32-assigned to Vietnam, where he commanded more than 50 American patrol boats on the Mekong
33-River and earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star;
34-
35-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole later commanded a radar-picket destroyer, guided- missile
36-frigate, and guided- missile cruiser before retiring from the Navy in 1987;
37-
38-WHEREAS, by the early 1990s, Adm. Toole began frequenting Capitol Hill Books, opened
39-and founded by Bill Kerr in 1991, and located in the Eastern Market neighborhood in a three- floor
40-rowhouse;
41-
42-WHEREAS, after Mr. Kerr passed away in 1994, Adm. Toole bought the store in 1995
43-from Mr. Kerr’s sister;
44- ENROLLED ORIGINAL
3+___________________________ ______________________________ 1
4+Councilmember Matthew Frumin Councilmember Charles Allen 2
5+ 3
6+ 4
7+___________________________ ______________________________ 5
8+Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Anita Bonds 6
9+ 7
10+ 8
11+______________________________ ___________________________ 9
12+Councilmember Christina Henderson Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie 10
13+ 11
14+ 12
15+______________________________ 13
16+Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 14
17+ 15
18+ 16
19+ 17
20+A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION 18
21+ 19
22+______ 20
23+ 21
24+IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 22
25+ 23
26+______________ 24
27+ 25
28+ 26
29+To recognize and honor the life and accomplishments of Admiral Jim Toole. 27
30+ 28
31+WHEREAS, Admiral Morton “Jim” Toole was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on 29
32+February 14, 1937; 30
33+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole’s father, who was a career Army officer and who retired as a 31
34+colonel, earned the Legion of Merit during World War II, and later moved the family to Menlo 32
35+Park, California; 33
36+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole, according to his daughter, said that he wanted to go into the 34
37+Navy and make his career there because his father already had a successful career in the Army; 35
38+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole studied American history at the University of California at Los 36
39+Angeles, serving in the Navy ROTC, and received his Bachelor’s degree and commission in 1957; 37
4540 2
46-
47-
48- WHEREAS, during his tenure as owner of Capitol Hill Books, he became known for his
49-charmingly grumpy presence at the front desk and filling the store with books in every conceivable
50-space, with fiction upstairs, nonfiction on the ground level, sports and science- fiction in the
51-basement, cookbooks in the former kitchen sink, and foreign language books in the bathroom;
52-
53-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was also known for his system of “controlled disorganization”,
54-as he would refer to it, arranging books in tall stacks and naming them “Tolkien Tower” and
55-“Wacko Stacko”, which housed books by right-wing personalities;
56-
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-“like,” and “totally”;
61-
62-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole’s sense of humor and unique, old- fashioned approach to sales –
63-he used a pencil to record each transaction – earned him a devoted following;
64-
65-WHEREAS, in July 2018, Adm. Toole sold Capitol Hill Books to long- time employees
66-and friends of the store, noting that the new owners shared his vision for preserving Capitol Hill
67-Books as an independent bookstore and ensuring that the business maintains its place as a literary
68-hub for the community;
69-
70-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was known for his wit, charming curmudgeoness, and generosity,
71-all of which contributed to Capitol Hill Books becoming as a staple in the Capitol Hill community
72-and a nationally-known, eclectic bookstore;
73-
74-WHEREAS, Adm. Toole tragically passed away on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2023,
75-and is survived by his wife, daughter, three stepchildren, and six grandchildren;
76-
77- RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
78-resolution may be cited as the "Jim Toole Posthumous Recognition Resolution of 2023".
79-
80-Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the life and
81-accomplishments of Admiral Jim Toole.
82-
83-Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
41+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole spent 6 years at sea with the Navy before moving to the District 38
42+to work on guided-missile systems, and he took night classes at American University to receive a 39
43+Master’s degree in International Relations; 40
44+WHEREAS, when Adm. Toole graduated from American University in 1966, he had been 41
45+assigned to Vietnam, where he commanded more than 50 American patrol boats on the Mekong 42
46+River and earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star; 43
47+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole later commanded a radar-picket destroyer, guided-missile 44
48+frigate, and guided-missile cruiser before retiring from the Navy in 1987; 45
49+WHEREAS, by the early 1990s, Adm. Toole began frequenting Capitol Hill Books, opened 46
50+and founded by Bill Kerr in 1991, and located in the Eastern Market neighborhood in a three-floor 47
51+rowhouse; 48
52+WHEREAS, after Mr. Kerr passed away in 1994, Adm. Toole bought the store in 1995 49
53+from Mr. Kerr’s sister; 50
54+WHEREAS, during his tenure as owner of Capitol Hill Books, he became known for his 51
55+charmingly grumpy presence at the front desk and filling the store with books in every conceivable 52
56+space, with fiction upstairs, nonfiction on the ground level, sports and science-fiction in the 53
57+basement, cookbooks in the former kitchen sink, and foreign language books in the bathroom; 54
58+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was also known for his system of “controlled disorganization”, 55
59+as he would refer to it, arranging books in tall stacks and naming them “Tolkien Tower” and 56
60+“Wacko Stacko”, which housed books by right-wing personalities; 57
61+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was also known for requiring order and decorum at Capitol Hill 58
62+Books, banning the wearing of backpacks and cellphone conversations inside the store, and having 59
63+a list of “banned words” from conversation, such as the use of the words “perfect,” “awesome,” 60
64+3
65+“like,” and “totally”; 61
66+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole’s sense of humor and unique, old-fashioned approach to sales – 62
67+he used a pencil to record each transaction – earnedhim a devoted following; 63
68+WHEREAS, in July 2018, Adm. Toole sold Capitol Hill Books to long-time employees 64
69+and friends of the store, noting that the new owners shared his vision for preserving Capitol Hill 65
70+Books as an independent bookstore and ensuring that the business maintains its place as a literary 66
71+hub for the community; 67
72+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole was known for his wit, charming curmudgeoness, and generosity, 68
73+all of which contributed to Capitol Hill Books becoming as a staple in the Capitol Hill community 69
74+and a nationally-known, eclectic bookstore; 70
75+WHEREAS, Adm. Toole tragically passed away on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2023, 71
76+and is survived by his wife, daughter, three stepchildren, and six grandchildren; 72
77+ RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this 73
78+resolution may be cited as the "Jim Toole Posthumous Recognition Resolution of 2023". 74
79+Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the life and 75
80+accomplishments of Admiral Jim Toole. 76
81+Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 77