SR0553 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0553 LRB101 12921 ALS 61756 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of J.W. Pirtle, who passed away on June 15, 2019; and

WHEREAS, J. W. Pirtle was born in Bolivar, Tennessee to Will and Nishie Pirtle on December 22, 1931; he graduated from Bruce High School in Dyersburg, Tennessee in 1949; during the summer of 1951, he moved to Champaign; in 1952, he joined the United States Army, where he oversaw the U.S. Base Motor Pool, and served honorably; he married Alice Burge in 1961; and

WHEREAS, Upon completion of his tour of duty, J.W. Pirtle began working as a body and fender repairman at the Danna Huddlerson Ford Company; he then realized he needed more formal training and enrolled in Greenleaf Trade School in Chicago, where he studied auto mechanics and management; he also completed a 12-month program in body and fender repair; in 1956, he purchased property and established his business as the first Black man in Champaign to own and operate a Shell Gas Station; in 1963, he opened Pirtle's Restaurant; in 1967, he opened the Central Cab Company and a body and fender shop at the same location; he was the first Black man to own limousines in Champaign, as well as the first taxi service to utilize station wagons and vans; in 1976, he began working for the State in the Department of Central Management Services as Manager, State of Illinois Motor Pool; he retired from that position in 2000; and

WHEREAS, In 1989, J.W. Pirtle became a co-owner of the radio station WBCP Soul, which was the only Black-owned station East of the Mississippi River and South of Kankakee; WBCP Radio was nominated for a Stellar Award in the Small Market Radio Group in 2016; and

WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle was a pitcher in the National Negro Baseball League with the Minor League Champaign Eagles; he often spoke about how, as baseball players, their teams were welcomed at the Chicago White Sox stadium during the Civil Rights Movement; he continued to be an avid lover of the sport; and

WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle was a member of St. Luke CME Church for more than 50 years and served as the Senior Usher on the Usher Board and as a member of the board of trustees; he was a devoted husband and father; and

WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Alice; his son, Michael Pirtle; his brothers, Alvin LaSalle and James Edward Pirtle; and his sister, Lue Lena Pirtle McDaniel; and

WHEREAS, J.W. Pirtle is survived by his children and grandchildren, Justin Michael (Michael), Terrence Aljay (Yvette), Alliyah Lee (Eric), and Jaelyn Alyssa (Pamela); his sisters, Lois Pirtle, Ether Made Huffman, Katherine McKutchen, and Marvarine Pirtle; and several nieces, nephews, other family members, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of J.W. Pirtle and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of J.W. Pirtle as an expression of our deepest sympathy.