Stretch of Illinois highway named for Tuskegee Airmen
BY HANNAH KOHUT Sun-Times Media February 20, 2012 2:26PM
Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider shakes the hand of Tuskegee Airmen Bev Dunjill as she and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (right) hold up a mock-up of a new highway marker sign naming a portion of I-57 in the honor of the Tuskegee Airmen during a dedication ceremony at Markham City Hall in Markham, Illinois, Monday, February, 20, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 22, 2012 8:10AM
MARKHAM, Ill. -- “This is the culmination of my life.”
Given that 91-year-old Virgil Poole, of Glenwood, Ill., was a Tuskegee Airman, that’s saying something.
But that’s how Poole felt Monday at a dedication ceremony for the renaming of part of Interstate 57 in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen.
A joint resolution passed in May be the Illinois Legislature called for the stretch of I-57 from Exit 339 at Sauk Trail Road to Exit 358 at Wentworth Avenue in Chicago to be renamed the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trail.
At least 300 people packed city hall in Markham, Ill., for Monday’s ceremony as Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn joined local service organizations for the dedication.
New signs will be installed along both the northbound and southbound lanes.
Chicago-area Tuskegee Airmen were honored and treated to a heroes-style reception. A line of people wrapped around the room as they awaited autographs and photos from the airmen.
Alexis Huff, of Chicago’s South Side, said five of her uncles were Tuskegee Airmen. She brought her 7-year-old son, Alex, to the ceremony to “witness history,” she said.
“I wanted him to see this,” Huff said. “This is amazing. Just amazing.”
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