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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING AND RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF JAMES TILMON, SR.
WHEREAS, James Tilmon was born on Tuesday, July 31, 1934 in Guthrie, Oklahoma to George and Manila Tilmon, a local teacher and high school principal, and would go on to graduate from Lincoln University of Missouri with degrees in chemistry, education, and music; and
WHEREAS, after seeing a plane in the sky for the first time at the age of 5, James would learn to fly through his college's ROTC program and become a pilot for the US Army, commanding an accident-free aviation platoon and serving for 8 years until being honorably discharged as a Captain in the Army Corps of Engineers; and
WHEREAS, at 31 years old, James became the fifth Black commercial pilot in the United States as he flew for American Airlines for nearly 30 years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tilmon simultaneously began a broadcast television career with his own production company, Tilmon Productions, Inc., and "Our People," a weekly live show focused on Black Chicagoans that aired one week after the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1968 to 1972 on WTTW, Chicago's PBS station; and
WHEREAS, James then served 22 years as a meteorologist at NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV, where he continued hosting a live weekly show, winning a local Emmy in 1974 for "Tilmon Tempo"; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Tilmon would help found the National Association of Black Journalists in 1975, laying down a foundation for Black media members to pursue careers in broadcasting and news coverage; and
WHEREAS, James leaves behind multiple generations of family and many loving communities across Chicago to mourn his passing from this life on Saturday, January 16, 2021; and
WHEREAS, James Tilmon, Sr. lived a life that prioritized the day-to-day of Black people in Chicago and beyond, and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF COOK COUNTY: the President and its members do hereby hold their reverence in honor of the historic life of James Tilmon...
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