Illinois 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HR0120 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
4	4	2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
5	5	3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Oscar
6	6	4 Lawton Wilkerson Jr. of Markham, who passed away on February
7	7	5 8, 2023; and
8	8	6 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was born in Chicago Heights on
9	9	7 February 9, 1926; he graduated from Bloom Township High School
10	10	8 in 1944; and
11	11	9 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson registered for the U.S. Army Air
12	12	10 Force; he passed his flight test in 1946, earning his wings and
13	13	11 a rank of second lieutenant as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the
14	14	12 nation's first Black aviation combat unit; with the recent end
15	15	13 of World War II, he was tasked with aiding the postwar cleanup
16	16	14 efforts; and
17	17	15 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson finished his service by flying
18	18	16 B-52s to Kingman, Arizona for storage or disassembly in the
19	19	17 U.S. military's aircraft "boneyard" and was a lifeguard at an
20	20	18 officer's pool; he was also in charge of the officer's club at
21	21	19 a base in Columbus, Ohio; and
22	22	20 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson worked as a freelance
23	23	21 photographer most of his life; in 1962, he began a career in
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32	32	1 radio with WBEE-AM in Harvey, where he was a weekend host known
33	33	2 as "Weekend Wilkie" as well as program director and manager of
34	34	3 community affairs; he later worked at WMAQ-AM; he retired in
35	35	4 1988; and
36	36	5 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was the second vice president of
37	37	6 the Chicago chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which was called
38	38	7 the Dodo Chapter because the founders felt that if they did not
39	39	8 preserve the legacy then they would die off like the dodo bird,
40	40	9 which went extinct because it lost the ability to fly; as a
41	41	10 presenter on Black history and the Tuskegee Airman experience,
42	42	11 he frequently told students about the five-point road map that
43	43	12 the Tuskegee airmen used to be successful, which included do
44	44	13 not fear greatness, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot
45	45	14 do something, excel in what you do, remain united and help each
46	46	15 other reach a common goal, and with courage and dedication you
47	47	16 can overcome adversity; and
48	48	17 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson's love of aviation never faded;
49	49	18 he owned a small single-engine Cessna for years; he delighted
50	50	19 in introducing children to aviation by meeting them at the
51	51	20 Gary/Chicago Airport and taking them for their first flights,
52	52	21 which were free through the Experimental Aircraft
53	53	22 Association's Young Eagles Program; and
54	54	23 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was among approximately 300
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65	65	1 surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen awarded the
66	66	2 Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush;
67	67	3 and
68	68	4 WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was inducted into the Bloom High
69	69	5 School Hall of Fame on November 6, 2021; therefore, be it
70	70	6 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
71	71	7 HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
72	72	8 we mourn the passing of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson Jr. and extend
73	73	9 our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who
74	74	10 knew and loved him; and be it further
75	75	11 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
76	76	12 presented to the family of Oscar Wilkerson as an expression of
77	77	13 our deepest sympathy.
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