We remember Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. each January 15, which was the slain civil rights leader’s birthday. But, did you know, Illinois was the first state to recognize it as a holiday 50 years ago? Schools here began commemorating the occasion in 1969. They wouldn’t, however, close for the day until Gov. Dan Walker made it a legal holiday on Sept. 17, 1973. The bill’s sponsor: Illinois Rep. .
Vintage Chicago Tribune: Illinois was first state to mark MLK Day chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Barnes, Conard, 72, died Monday. Service: 2 p.m. Monday at William L. Danks Funeral Home. Burial: Mason Cemetery, Rockport, with full military honors. Visitation: 10 a.m. until the time of