OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
January 21, 2015
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Burke and Pope, a congratulatory resolution concerning World War II veteran Ralph Burlingham.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Ralph H. Burlingham, a decorated military veteran of World War II, led the members ofthe Chicago City Council in the Pledge of Allegiance on Wednesday, January 21, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Burlingham bravely served his country in the United States Marine Corps from 1943 to 1945 and fought in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Burlingham was a member ofthe legendary "Carlson's Raiders," and participated in combat landings at Bougainville, Guam and Okinawa; and
WHEREAS, During the Battle for Horseshoe Hill on Okinawa on May 21, 1945, Mr. Burlingham was struck and severely injured by mortar fire; and
WHEREAS, While recovering from his wounds in Guam over the next thirteen months, Ralph H. Burlingham received a Purple Heart from Admiral Chester Nimitz himself; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Burlingham's other awards and medals include two Navy Unit Citations and a Presidential Unit Citation; and
WHEREAS, Following the war, Mr. Burlingham became an ordained minister and served as a Pastor in Wisconsin and Illinois before moving his family to Chicago's Brainerd neighborhood to pursue a career in social work; and
WHEREAS, In 1965, less than a year after earning his Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University, Mr. Burlingham was named Executive Director of Ada S. McKinley Community Services, a social agency dedicated to providing support to residents ofthe South Side of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Burlingham ably led the organization for three decades, delivering critically needed services to the disabled and those struggling with poverty; and
WHEREAS, During his esteemed tenure, Mr. Burlingham brought compassion and dignity to the lives of countless people, and expanded the organization by hiring a professional staff that mirrored the ethnic composition ofthe communities that the agency served; and
WHEREAS, By the time Mr. Burlingham retired in 1995, Ada S. McKinley Community Services had grown to include 25 centers, a staff of 450 persons, and an annual budget of 30 million dollars; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of his remarkable vision and leadership, Mr. Burlingham received both the Ada S. McKinley Community Services Lifetime Achievement Award and the PUSH Excel/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream Award; and
WHEREAS, Ralph H. Burlingham is truly an example of what journalist Tom Brokaw famously and aptly dubbed "The Greatest Generation;" and
WHEREAS, Mr. Burlingham is exceedingly worthy of our highest admiration and esteem; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members ofthe Chicago City Council, assembled this twenty-first day of January, 2015, do hereby express our sincere appreciation to Ralph H. Burlingham for his military service and do hereby declare that January 21, 2015, shall be officially recognized as Ralph H. Burlingham Day throughout the City of Chicago; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ralph H. Burlingham as a token of our respect and good wishes.
2