Full Text of HR0277 102nd General Assembly
HR0277 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Edward | 4 | | L. "Buzz" Palmer of Chicago, who passed away on April 11, 2021; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Edward Palmer was born in Englewood and graduated | 7 | | from Lindblom High School; after high school, he served in the | 8 | | Air Force where he learned to speak German, and his duties | 9 | | included monitoring radio communications in East Germany and | 10 | | behind the Iron Curtain; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Edward Palmer worked in law enforcement and | 12 | | headed Chicago's Sister Cities program during Mayor Harold | 13 | | Washington's administration; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Edward Palmer helped found Chicago's | 15 | | Afro-American Patrolmen's League (AAPL) in 1968 after the | 16 | | assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.; in response | 17 | | to the unrest after King's assassination, Mayor Richard J. | 18 | | Daley issued an order to shoot to kill arsonists, which was a | 19 | | declaration praised by the Fraternal Order of Police; the AAPL | 20 | | opposed the order and were given punitive assignments in | 21 | | response; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The stories of the founding members of the AAPL | 2 | | helped inspire what has been dubbed TV's first soul soap opera | 3 | | "Bird of the Iron Feather"; premiering on WTTW in 1970, it | 4 | | featured storylines about poverty, predatory credit practices, | 5 | | street gangs, and pressures Black officers faced navigating a | 6 | | White-dominated department amid growing calls for Black | 7 | | liberation; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Along with his wife, former State Senator Alice | 9 | | Palmer, he co-founded the Black Press Institute and also | 10 | | helped start an international news digest, the Black Press | 11 | | Review; he helped organize gatherings for Black journalists to | 12 | | meet newsmakers, including United Nations Secretary-General | 13 | | Kofi Annan; he helped revive the Black United Fund, a | 14 | | not-for-profit organization, and headed COMPRAND, a community | 15 | | health agency that worked to boost Black enrollment in medical | 16 | | schools; he also arranged international internships for | 17 | | Chicago undergraduates; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Edward Palmer had a raucous laugh that people | 19 | | would recognize when he and his wife ate breakfast at a | 20 | | favorite haunt, Chef Sara's Cafe in South Shore; he will be | 21 | | especially remembered as a community activist who tried to | 22 | | connect people around the world who saw the Black struggle in | 23 | | America as an impetus for change; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Edward Palmer is survived by his wife, Alice; his | 2 | | daughters, Lisa Russell and Zella Palmer; his sisters, Ruth | 3 | | Long and Caroline Hudson; and his seven grandchildren; | 4 | | therefore, be it | 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 6 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 7 | | we mourn the passing of Edward L. "Buzz" Palmer and extend our | 8 | | sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew | 9 | | and loved him; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to the family of Edward Palmer as an expression of | 12 | | our deepest sympathy.
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