SR2058LRB100 23349 ALS 42370 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Robert Leander "Bob" Martin of Chicago,
4who passed away on July 26, 2018; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bob Martin was born in Dubuque, Iowa to Dr. Henry
6Ambrose and Mattie (Ducano) Martin on February 9, 1919; he was
7the sixth of nine children; he earned Boy Scout merit badges as
8a Lone Scout, and his interest in golf was sparked while
9working at a golf club; he also skied, was a ski jumper, and
10enjoyed traveling; he graduated from Dubuque Senior High
11School; he earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical
12Engineering from Iowa State University at Ames; while at Ames,
13he also earned his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot
14Training Program; later in life, he studied computer
15programming; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Bob "Fox" Martin was a fighter pilot with the Army
17Air Corps during World War II; one of the Tuskegee Airmen, he
18received his wings in 1944 and was commissioned a 2nd
19Lieutenant; he served with the 100th Fighter Squadron of the
20332nd Fighter Group in the European Theater of Operations; one
21of the "Red Tails," he flew single-engine planes, including the
22P-51 Mustang, on long-range bomber escorts and strafing
23missions to destroy enemy resources; and
 

 

 

SR2058- 2 -LRB100 23349 ALS 42370 r

1    WHEREAS, In March of 1945, during his 64th and final combat
2mission, Bob Martin's plane was hit by ground fire while
3strafing the aerodrome at Zagreb, Yugoslavia, now Croatia; he
4was forced to parachute from his burning plane and was rescued
5by and spent the next five weeks with the partisans and at an
6allied mission before he returned to his base in Ramitelli,
7Italy; he earned several service medals, including the
8Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal
9with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters; he was honorably discharged in 1945
10as a First Lieutenant; in the Reserves, he rose to the rank of
11Captain; and
 
12    WHEREAS, After the war, Bob Martin moved to Chicago, where
13he met Odette Ewell; they married in 1950; he secured a
14position as an electrical engineer with Chicago's Bureau of
15Electricity, where he planned and supervised street light
16installations; he retired as an Electrical Design Engineer
17after 37 years of service; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Bob Martin was an early member of the Chicago
19"DODO" Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and he devoted
20countless hours to preserving the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen
21and to promoting interest in aviation careers; he spoke to
22groups about the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen in general,
23as well as his personal experiences; for many years, he

 

 

SR2058- 3 -LRB100 23349 ALS 42370 r

1designed and sewed his own elaborate costumes for DODO's annual
2Mardi Gras Ball; he helped to organize scholarship fundraisers
3and volunteered with the Young Eagles Flight Program, which
4provides free flights in small planes to children ages 10 to
517; he garnered many civilian honors, the most notable being
6the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 and his entry into the
7United States Congressional Record on June 10, 2013; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Bob Martin was an avid golfer and golfed in all 50
9states; he was a member of the Divot's Golf Club, where he held
10many offices; he was a voracious reader of military aviation
11history, the Smithsonian magazine, National Geographic, and
12various engineering journals; he wrote poetry and participated
13in his residents' poetry group; most recently, he worked
14extensively with a co-author on a book about his life; he
15mentored many family members; he had a gregarious soul, a zest
16for life, a sense of adventure, a quick wit, and a sharp and
17curious mind; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Bob Martin was preceded in death by his brothers,
19Clarence, Henry, Thornton, and Joseph; and his three sisters,
20Lillian, Vivian (Smith), and Hettie (Stevens); and
 
21    WHEREAS, Bob Martin is survived by his wife, Odette Martin,
22Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, City Colleges of Chicago; his
23children, Robert Martin Jr., Gabrielle Martin, Noelle Martin,

 

 

SR2058- 4 -LRB100 23349 ALS 42370 r

1and Dominique Martin; his grandchildren, Robert Martin III and
2Bradley J. Martin; his sister, Delores Owens; and his many
3nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces,
4great-grandnephews, other relatives, and friends; therefore,
5be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
7ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
8Robert Leander "Bob" Martin and extend our sincere condolences
9to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
10it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the family of Bob Martin as an expression of our
13deepest sympathy.