HR1227 LRB096 22293 GRL 41295 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of William
4 J. Adelman of Oak Park, who passed away on September 15, 2009;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, He was born on the West Side of Chicago and was a
7 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park;
8 he received a Bachelor's degree in history from Elmhurst
9 College in 1955 and a Master's degree in American history from
10 the University of Chicago in 1964; and
 
11     WHEREAS, He taught at Jefferson Junior High School in
12 Berwyn in the late 1950s and later Morton West High School in
13 Berwyn; from 1966 to 1991 he taught labor and industrial
14 relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago and later
15 became a professor emeritus at the University's Institute of
16 Labor and Industrial Relations; and
 
17     WHEREAS, William J. Adelman was not only a fierce advocate
18 for the labor movement at the ground level, but also a devoted
19 historian and a preserver of its legacy; indeed, as a renowned
20 labor expert, he was known as "the people's scholar" because of
21 his passion for wanting to teach as many people as possible
22 about the labor movement, its virtues, and its relevance today;

 

 

HR1227 - 2 - LRB096 22293 GRL 41295 r

1 and
 
2     WHEREAS, He authored many books on the labor movement in
3 Chicago, including Touring Pullman, Haymarket Revisited, and
4 Pilsen and the West Side; he also helped write and research
5 films, including Packingtown, USA; and he was the narrator of
6 the 1983 documentary about the Pullman Strike of 1894, entitled
7 Palace Cars and Paradise: The Pullman Model Town; and
 
8     WHEREAS, William J. Adelman is survived by his sons, Marc
9 and Michael; his daughters, Michelle, Marguerite, and Jessica;
10 his life partner, David Staley; his ex-wife, Nora; his sister,
11 Sandra Walsh; and his five grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
12     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
15 William J. Adelman; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to the family of William J. Adelman as a symbol of
18 our sincere sympathy.