adopted by The City Council
ofthe City of Chicago, Illinois
TRIBUTE TO GILBERT S. MARCHMAN IV
WHEREAS, In His infinite wisdom, almighty God has granted eternal peace to Gilbert S. Marchman IV, a remarkable public servant and outstanding citizen of Chicago, on March 25, 2022; and
WHEREAS Gil Marchman started his journey in this city as the youngest and last surviving child born to the union of Gilbert S. Marchman 111 and Daisy Hunter on August 26, 1934. Two older sisters, Gwendolyn Marchman and Harriet Gregory, preceded him in passing; and
WHEREAS a South Side native, Gil Marchman attended Betsy Ross Elementary before matriculating to St. Emma Military Academy established in 1899 as a high school military academy exclusively for African American male students and located near Powhatan, Virginia. Upon graduating, he served in the U.S. military during the Korean war and returned to further his education at the University of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, for two decades Gil Marchman was employed as a docket clerk in the probate division ofthe Cook County Circuit Court. Eventually he became director of data processing prior to his appointment as Clerk of the lsl District Appellate Court of Illinois in 1977 where he served until retiring in 2001. In 1989, he made an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Representative from the Illinois 1st Congressional District: and
WHEREAS it was his love of football that gave Gil Marchman a second, albeit avocational, career. After he injured a knee trying out as a running back at the University of Illinois, he started officiating games as a referee. He joined the Big 10 in 1971 as the first African American to officiate and was among an elite group of 40 conference field officials until 1993. From 1994 until he retired from officiating in 2002, he was a technical advisor and reply official. About his years with the Big Ten, he was quoted as saying, "I love it! I would pay to do it"; and
WHEREAS, in 1999 Gil Marchman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a disease he survived for almost 23 years. He became volunteer and advocate for raising awareness about pancreatic cancer especially among African Americans, who are at a higher risk of getting the disease than any other racial or ethnic group. He worked tirelessly to spark more awareness and conversation about the world's toughest cancer. He was a fundraiser for PurpleStride, the walk to end pancreatic cancer and participated in the annual National Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Day, sharing his story with members of Congress to advocate for more federal research funding. From 2016 to 2019, Marchman served on PanCAN's Survivor Council and, at the age of 84, celebrated two decades of survival by joining an annual jump with skydivers and fellow survivors Roberta Luna and Susie Lemieux in Perris, California in April of 2019; and
WHEREAS Gil Marchman leaves behind to mourn his loss and celebrate his memory, his wife of 63 years, Louise Hunter Marchman, his daughter, MiaLynn Marchman-Jones, and his granddaughter Kiara Crumble; and
WHEREAS thc Honorable Roderick T. Sawyer. Alderman of the 6th Ward, has informed this august body of this extraordinary and exceptional life well-lived; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that we the mayor and members of the City of Chicago City Council, gathered this 27th Day of April, 2022 AD, do hereby express our sincere sorrow upon the passing of Gilbert S. Marchman IV and extend our deepest condolences to his family and many friends.
RODERICK T. SAWYER
Alderman - 6th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to the family of Gil Marchman.
