SALUTE TO THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. CONRAD WORRILL
WHEREAS, On June 3, 2020, this city, this state, and this nation lost one of its most distinguished and vocal advocates for the education, elevation, and empowerment of African Americans with the passing of Dr. Conrad Worrill who succumbed to cancer at the age of 78; and
WHEREAS, an erudite and prolific writer, educator, and activist, Dr. Worrill was also a talk show host for the WVON call-in program "On Target". He was a key strategist for Harold Washington's successful election as this city's first African-American mayor and an indefatigable champion of economic empowerment, the dismantling of educational inequities, and the reparations to the descendants of slaves; and
WHEREAS, although Conrad Worrill started life in Pasadena, California, he moved to this city when he was nine years old. His father, Walter F. Worrill, was active in the NAACP and an executive at the YMCA on South Wabash. The father was an athlete and had grown up with legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, the first African American player in the National League. When Robinson made his debut at Wrigley field to play against the Cubs in 1947, only one month after being called up from the minors to play first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the senior Worrill invited Robinson to appear at his "Y". It was reported that "thousands and thousands of black people on the streets of Wabash, from 39th to 36th Street to see the first black man to break the NL's color barrier"; and
WHEREAS, greatly influenced by his father, Conrad Worrill attended Hyde Park Academy High School, where he became a track star remained an avid runner for the remainder of his life. He was influential in the development of the Gately Indoor Track & Field facility in the Pullman neighborhood. In 1962, Conrad was drafted into the army and stationed in Okinawa, Japan. It was during this time, he read much about African American history, culture, and politics. When he returned to Ame...
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