William J. Adelman, 1932-2009: Teacher formed a union at school, became labor history expert -- chicagotribune.com:
"'We wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Bill and his devotion to preserving our history,' said Larry Spivack, president of the society, the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. 'He was for many years the public face of the labor movement in Illinois.'
Mr. Adelman, 77, who died in his Oak Park home Tuesday, Sept. 15, apparently of a heart attack, became such a renowned labor expert that he often was an adviser, writer and narrator of films and documentaries on the labor movement, particularly those dealing with Chicago's history, family members said."
William J. Adelman
“The popular and peripatetic prophet of labor history; teacher, author, lecturer, and tireless tour leader.”
Throughout his career, Adelman has promoted the history of Chicago labor. For twenty-five years he served as professor at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois. In 1969, he was a co-founder of the ILHS and has published numerous books on labor history: Touring Pullman: Labor Sites in the Chicago Area, Haymarket Revisited, and Pilsen: A Tour Guide. During the 1990s Adelman has lectured on Chicago labor and ethnic history before a variety of unions and community groups.
"'We wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Bill and his devotion to preserving our history,' said Larry Spivack, president of the society, the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. 'He was for many years the public face of the labor movement in Illinois.'
Mr. Adelman, 77, who died in his Oak Park home Tuesday, Sept. 15, apparently of a heart attack, became such a renowned labor expert that he often was an adviser, writer and narrator of films and documentaries on the labor movement, particularly those dealing with Chicago's history, family members said."
William J. Adelman
“The popular and peripatetic prophet of labor history; teacher, author, lecturer, and tireless tour leader.”
Throughout his career, Adelman has promoted the history of Chicago labor. For twenty-five years he served as professor at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois. In 1969, he was a co-founder of the ILHS and has published numerous books on labor history: Touring Pullman: Labor Sites in the Chicago Area, Haymarket Revisited, and Pilsen: A Tour Guide. During the 1990s Adelman has lectured on Chicago labor and ethnic history before a variety of unions and community groups.
