Record #: R2015-603   
Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Intro date: 7/29/2015 Current Controlling Legislative Body:
Final action: 7/29/2015
Title: Tribute to late Honorable D'Army Bailey
Sponsors: Burke, Edward M.
Attachments: 1. R2015-603.pdf

RESOLUTION

 

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 73; and

 

WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and

 

WHEREAS, A resident of Tennessee, the Honorable D'Army Bailey was a widely admired member of the legal community and the loving husband of Adrienne; and

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey was the much-adored father of Justin and Merritt to whom he imparted many of the fine and noble qualities that he possessed in abundance; and

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey led the campaign to preserve the Memphis, Tennessee hotel where the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., was slain and turn it into the National Civil Rights Museum; and

 

WHEREAS, The Reverend Martin Luther King was slain while standing on a balcony of the hotel on April 4, 1968, while in the city to march in support of striking sanitation workers; and

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey opened the museum in 1991 and oversaw an extensive renovation of the once-crumbling structure; and

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey graduated from Yale Law School and practiced civil rights law before serving as a member of the Berkeley, California City Council; and

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey later practiced law in Memphis where he went on to serve as a member of the judiciary; and

 

WHEREAS, The Honorable D'Army Bailey was the author of The Education of a Black Radical: A Southern Civil Rights Activist's Journey, 1959-1964 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 's Final Journey; and

 

WHEREAS, The hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the Honorable D'Army Bailey serve as an example to all; and

 

 

WHEREAS, An unwavering advocate for justice, the Honorable D'Army Bailey will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by his many relatives, friends and admirers; and

 

WHEREAS, To his beloved family, the Honorable D'Army Bailey imparts a legacy of faithfulness, service and dignity; now, therefore

 

BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this twenty-ninth day of July, 2015, do hereby commemorate the Honorable D'Army Bailey for his grace-filled life and do hereby express our condolences to his family; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of the Honorable D'Army Bailey.