Bill Text: IL HR0120 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson Jr. of Markham.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-03-23 - Resolution Adopted by Voice Vote [HR0120 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0120-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Oscar | ||||||
4 | Lawton Wilkerson Jr. of Markham, who passed away on February | ||||||
5 | 8, 2023; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was born in Chicago Heights on | ||||||
7 | February 9, 1926; he graduated from Bloom Township High School | ||||||
8 | in 1944; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson registered for the U.S. Army Air | ||||||
10 | Force; he passed his flight test in 1946, earning his wings and | ||||||
11 | a rank of second lieutenant as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the | ||||||
12 | nation's first Black aviation combat unit; with the recent end | ||||||
13 | of World War II, he was tasked with aiding the postwar cleanup | ||||||
14 | efforts; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson finished his service by flying | ||||||
16 | B-52s to Kingman, Arizona for storage or disassembly in the | ||||||
17 | U.S. military's aircraft "boneyard" and was a lifeguard at an | ||||||
18 | officer's pool; he was also in charge of the officer's club at | ||||||
19 | a base in Columbus, Ohio; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson worked as a freelance | ||||||
21 | photographer most of his life; in 1962, he began a career in |
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1 | radio with WBEE-AM in Harvey, where he was a weekend host known | ||||||
2 | as "Weekend Wilkie" as well as program director and manager of | ||||||
3 | community affairs; he later worked at WMAQ-AM; he retired in | ||||||
4 | 1988; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was the second vice president of | ||||||
6 | the Chicago chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which was called | ||||||
7 | the Dodo Chapter because the founders felt that if they did not | ||||||
8 | preserve the legacy then they would die off like the dodo bird, | ||||||
9 | which went extinct because it lost the ability to fly; as a | ||||||
10 | presenter on Black history and the Tuskegee Airman experience, | ||||||
11 | he frequently told students about the five-point road map that | ||||||
12 | the Tuskegee airmen used to be successful, which included do | ||||||
13 | not fear greatness, do not let anyone tell you that you cannot | ||||||
14 | do something, excel in what you do, remain united and help each | ||||||
15 | other reach a common goal, and with courage and dedication you | ||||||
16 | can overcome adversity; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson's love of aviation never faded; | ||||||
18 | he owned a small single-engine Cessna for years; he delighted | ||||||
19 | in introducing children to aviation by meeting them at the | ||||||
20 | Gary/Chicago Airport and taking them for their first flights, | ||||||
21 | which were free through the Experimental Aircraft | ||||||
22 | Association's Young Eagles Program; and
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23 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was among approximately 300 |
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1 | surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen awarded the | ||||||
2 | Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush; | ||||||
3 | and
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4 | WHEREAS, Oscar Wilkerson was inducted into the Bloom High | ||||||
5 | School Hall of Fame on November 6, 2021; therefore, be it
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6 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
7 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
8 | we mourn the passing of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson Jr. and extend | ||||||
9 | our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who | ||||||
10 | knew and loved him; and be it further
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11 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
12 | presented to the family of Oscar Wilkerson as an expression of | ||||||
13 | our deepest sympathy.
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