WHEREAS, Charles Thomas, veteran news and political reporter at WLS-Channel 7 will retire on March 3, 2017, after twenty-five years of faithful service to the Chicago television industry; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his retirement by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Charles Thomas began his reporting career in 1973 as a radio reporter for KCMO in Kansas City, Missouri, after graduating from the University of Missouri School of Journalism; and
WHEREAS, Charles Thomas was the Midwest network correspondent based out of St. Louis for ABC in New York; and
WHEREAS, Charles Thomas also worked as a general assignment reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Charles Thomas joined WLS-Channel 7 in September 1991 as a General Assignment reporter
WHEREAS, While serving as a network correspondent, Charles Thomas traveled through all fifty states and five of the seven continents reporting the news; and
WHEREAS, As a member of the WLS-Channel 7 news team, Charles Thomas covered some of the most significant events of our time including the O.J. Simpson trials, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the Rodney King trials and the civil disorders that followed, tragic airline crashes, the Great Chicago Flood, other natural disasters, and the Chicago White Sox and Bulls championships; and
WHEREAS, In addition to covering major local and national events, Charles Thomas has reported from Europe and Asia for ABC 7 and accompanied U.S. Senator Barack Obama to Africa in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Charles Thomas, a highly respected and greatly admired broadcast journalist became the chief political reporter at WLS-Channel 7 in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Charles Thomas leaves behind a tremendous legacy in Chicago journalism for his inspired coverage of city, state and national politics and establishing great connectivity with Channel 7 viewers; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council assembled this twenty-second day of February, 2017, do hereby thank Charles Thomas for his many contributions to Chicago journalism and congratulate him on his retirement from the news profession and wish him and his wife Maria the very best as they begin the next phase of their lives; anc
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolutic/n-b^presented to Charles Thomas.
Alderman Edward M. Burke