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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to  
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learn of the death of
William Hugh Davis of Oak Park, who 
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passed away on September 5, 2007; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis was born in Baltimore on February 24, 
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1948; after the divorce of his parents, he was sent to live 
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with his maternal grandparents in the hills of West Virginia; 
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after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United 
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States Air Force in August 1966, serving in the Tactical 
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Airlift Squadron at Vung Tau Army Airfield in Vietnam and in 
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Thailand; he joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War while 
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serving in the Air Force, later becoming a national 
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coordinator; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After his discharge in 1970, Bill Davis went to 
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live with his mother in Akron, Ohio, and became more active in 
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the anti-war movement, leading him to move to Columbus, Ohio 
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and Chicago; he met his wife Joan in Chicago, where she had 
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come to protest the war as well; the couple married in 1978 and 
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settled in Oak Park; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis continued to be a voice against war and 
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was one of the founders of Labor Against the War, a group 
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protesting the Iraq war, and worked closely with Iraq Veterans 
 


 






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Against the War; over the years, he had become a staple of 
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Memorial Day and Veterans Day activities throughout Chicago and 
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hosted the Chicago visit of the national tour for the Vietnam 
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Association for Victims of Agent Orange; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis was a mechanic for United Parcel for 
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over 30 years, retiring from his position in 2007; throughtout 
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his career, he was focused on preserving democracy within his 
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union; he was elected President of the Automobile Mechanics 
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Union 701 in 2004; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis was well known within Automobile 
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Mechanics Union 701 as a natural leader who relentlessly fought 
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for the union's members at meetings and picket lines; he earned 
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the admiration and respect of every member of his union through 
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his determination and his unrelenting belief in his work; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis was also politically active, having 
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served as a Democratic precinct captain in Oak Park; he also 
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worked on many campaigns, including the campaigns of Danny 
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Davis and Harold Washington; and
 

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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis was an avid football and music lover; 
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he served as baseball coach, league director, and board member 
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of Oak Park Youth Baseball; and
 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis always sported a wide, nurturing smile, 
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which was shaded by a genuine Chicago mustache; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis was preceded in death by his son, 
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Joshua; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis is survived by his wife, Joan; his 
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daughter, Rebecca; his father, Warren; his half-siblings, 
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Cathy Fox, Bo Davis, and Carla Taras; his stepsister, Anna 
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Carabucci; his godson, Dylan O'Connor; his nephew, Aaron Gatti; 
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his sister-in-law, Gail Hammer;  and his brother-in-law, 
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Claudio Gatti; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Bill Davis will be remembered by all who knew and 
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loved him as a charismatic, witty, intelligent, and hard 
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working person who was liked and respected by many, as a person 
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who always took his union business and his public advocacy 
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seriously, and as someone who always stood up for what was 
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right, whether it was for peace and justice or for not throwing 
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back home run balls at Sox Park; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of William Hugh Davis; and 
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be it further

 
 


 






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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of William Hugh Davis as an expression 
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of our sympathy.