SR0639 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0639 LRB095 20722 KXB 49173 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of R. Eugene Pincham of Chicago, who passed away on April 3, 2008; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham was born in Chicago on June 28, 1925 and grew up in Alabama; he graduated from high school in 1942 and later attended LeMoyne College in Memphis; he transferred to Tennessee State University in 1944 and earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1947; and

WHEREAS, He married Alzata C. Henry in 1948 and enrolled in Northwestern University School of Law that same year; he worked his way through school by waiting on tables at the Palmer House Hotel and shining shoes; he earned his law degree in 1951; and

WHEREAS, He practiced law for the next 25 years; he was a brilliant criminal defense lawyer and a hero in Chicago's black neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham built a law practice as a advocate of causes that few others would champion; and

WHEREAS, His knowledge, savvy and one-of-a-kind oratory made him the stuff of legends in the Cook County courts; and

WHEREAS, During closing arguments, people would fill the courtroom just to hear Mr. Pincham speak; and

WHEREAS, Even though a renowned barrister, he took the time to mentor young lawyers, both as a lawyer and later as a judge; and

WHEREAS, Many have said that Judge Pincham encouraged people to do `what was right rather than what was expedient; and

WHEREAS, He served as both a Cook County judge and Illinois Appellate Court justice; he became a Circuit Court judge in 1976 and was assigned to the Criminal Division, where he served until 1984; he then became an Appellate Court justice and resigned in 1989; and

WHEREAS, He was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; and he was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ; and

WHEREAS, In 1989 he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners; he was the nominee for mayor of Chicago in the Harold Washington Party in 1991; he lost the election but carried 19 of the 50 city wards; and

WHEREAS, After his retirement, Judge Pincham continued to practice law; he also lectured at Harvard University, Northwestern, DePaul, Notre Dame, and the University of Chicago; he was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union and a lifetime member of the NAACP; and

WHEREAS, Judge Pincham is survived by his son, Robert Eugene Pincham Jr.; his daughter, Dr. Andrea Michelle Pincham-Benton; his son, James Frederick Pincham; and his three grandchildren; he was preceded in death by his wife; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Judge R. Eugene Pincham; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of R. Eugene Pincham as a symbol of our sympathy.