HR0215 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0215 LRB096 08912 GRL 22557 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the family of R. Eugene Pincham on the occasion of Mr. Pincham's posthumous nomination for the Laurel Wreath Award from the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham was born on June 28, 1925 in Chicago; he graduated from Trinity High School in Athens, Georgia in December of 1941; he attended LeMoyne College in Memphis, Tennessee from 1942 to 1943; he earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Tennessee State University in 1947 and his Juris Doctor degree from the Northwestern University School in Law in 1951; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham had a long and distinguished career in law; he was admitted to the Illinois Bar on June 18, 1951 and the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1965; he worked in private practice with the firm of Evins, Pincham, Fowlkes & Cooper from 1954 to 1976; he was also a trial and appeals attorney in the State and federal courts from 1951 until December 6, 1976, arguing over 200 cases before the appellate and Supreme Courts of Illinois, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 6th, 7th, and 8th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, From December 6, 1976 to June of 1984, R. Eugene Pincham served as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, where he was assigned to the Criminal Division; from June of 1984 to December of 1996, he served as a Justice with the 1st District Appellate Court of Illinois in Chicago; from 1970 to 2008, he served as a lecturer-instructor in trial and appellate techniques and advocacy in numerous university, including the Harvard University School of Law, the Cornell University School of Law, and the Northwestern University School of Law, among many others; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for his work in the community, including the Northwestern University Alumni Association Award of Merit, the Tennessee State University Outstanding Alumnus Award, the Chicago Bar Association Certificate of Appreciation, the Cook County, Illinois Bar Association's Richard A. Westbrook Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Legal Profession, the Human Resources Development Institute's Merit Award, the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Achievement Award and Certificate, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executive's Appreciation Award, the BALSA of John Marshall Law School Outstanding Jurist Award, the Percy Julian High School Award of Appreciation, the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee of the ACLU Certificate of Service, the National College of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Public Defenders Certificate of Merit, the Minority Alliance Group Award for Outstanding Achievement, the Tennessee State University Golden Anniversary Citation Award of Merit, the John Marshall Harlan High School Father of the Year Award, the United Black Laborers Community Organization Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement, the United Front of Cairo, Illinois Certificate of Achievement, and the John Marshall Harlan High School Student Council Community Award for Outstanding Service; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham was a member of numerous organizations, including the NAACP, the ACLU, the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, the Trinity United Church of Christ, the Law Club of Chicago, the Executive Club of Chicago, the Board of Directors of the John Henry Wigmore Club at Northwestern University, the State of Illinois Dangerous Drugs Commission, the Cook County Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Association of Defense Lawyers; he was a Past President of the John Marshall Harlan High School Community Organization and a member of the Judicature Society; he was also a former Trustee of the Howalton Day School and the Morgan Park Academy; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham married his college sweetheart, Alzata Cudalla Henry, on August 31, 1948 in Louisville, Tennessee; together, they had three children, Robert Eugene Pincham, Jr., Andrea Michelle Pincham, and James Frederick Pincham; and

WHEREAS, R. Eugene Pincham will be long remembered in the legal profession and among his family and friends for his quick mind, down-to-earth demeanor, astute knowledge of the law, and gifted oratory skills; his legacy will live on in the courtrooms of America and in the hearts of the many judges and lawyers who knew him; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the family of R. Eugene Pincham on the occasion of Mr. Pincham's posthumous nomination for the Laurel Wreath Award from the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and honor the memory of this great man; 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 esteem and respect.