RESOLUTION No. ________--_, Series 2018
title
A RESOLUTION HONORING ARTHUR M. WALTERS BY DEDICATING THE CORNER OF SOUTH 16TH STREET AND WEST BROADWAY TO BE NAMED “ARTHUR M. WALTERS WAY” IN HIS HONOR.
BODY
SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBERS SEXTON SMITH, WOOLRIDGE, SHANKLIN, GREEN, HAMILTON, LEET, COAN, HOLLANDER, MULVIHILL, KRAMER, BLACKWELL, WELCH, FOWLER, BUTLER, REED, STUCKEL, DENTON, BENSON, ENGEL, PEDEN, YATES, ACKERSON AND PRESIDENT JAMES
WHEREAS, Arthur M. Walters served this community for nearly 50 years as one of Louisville’s most effective leaders for justice and opportunity, and was respected for his sincerity, honesty, and unwavering commitment;
WHEREAS, Mr. Walters was born on November 6, 1918 in Magnolia, Kentucky to Tom and Mabel Walters, and died on October 16, 2010;
WHEREAS, Mr. Walters graduated as valedictorian from Bond-Washington High School in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and while attending Kentucky State College, he was drafted into the Army; where he fought in both World War II and the Korean War, became one of the first African-American officers to lead integrated troops, and earned the Bronze Star of Heroism, the Medal of Merit, the WWII Victory Medal, and the Soldier’s Medal of Bravery;
WHEREAS, after retiring from his 20-year military career as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1962, Mr. Walters attended the University of Louisville where he earned his Master of Education;
WHEREAS, in 1963, Mr. Walters joined the Louisville Urban League as the Director of Job Development and Employment, later was named Executive Director, and served in that capacity until 1987, and worked tirelessly in creating employment, housing, and educational opportunities previously denied minorities;
WHEREAS, Mr. Walters wrote the nationally recognized on-the-job training program for the Louisville Urban League to assist the under-skilled and under-privileged in finding employment, then persuaded Kentucky and local-area companies to hire, train, and recruit African-American workers, and in 1969, he was instrumental in placing 345 minority workers in jobs at the City’s 4th Street Galleria project, paying them a combined paycheck of more than $2 million;
WHEREAS, upon retiring from the Louisville Urban League in 1987, then Mayor Jerry Abramson recruited Mr. Walters to head Destination Louisville-an initiative to relocate the U.S.A. Presbyterian headquarters to the city; which helped boost Louisville’s economy;
WHEREAS, in addition to his military medals, Mr. Walters has received over 100 honors and accolades, including Adult Black Achiever of the Year, the Freedom Award, the Bell Award, the Civil Rights Leadership Award, the Louisville Defender’s Community Service Award, recognition as one of Ebony Magazine’s 1,000 Successful Blacks, named as one of 54 pioneering Louisville leaders chosen to be highlighted in “Passing the Torch”-a collection of one-on-one conversations with those “whose vision and actions shaped the course and destiny of modern-day Louisville,” and posthumously was inducted as the 53rd honoree to the Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians;
WHEREAS, Bellarmine University, where Mr. Walter’s was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, has a scholarship named in his honor, and the Louisville Urban League has an award, presented annually, named in his honor called the Arthur M. Walters Champion of Diversity Award;
WHEREAS, Mr. Walters has also served the community by functioning on numerous boards, including being the first African-American member of the Louisville Rotary Club, and helped to organize the Metro United Way Leadership Roundtable, which was designed to be the standard for effective leadership in Louisville;
WHEREAS, throughout Mr. Walters many years of service to Louisville, he was known as a “Bridge Builder”, served as a catalyst for change in desegregation, equal housing, job opportunities for minorities, innovations in program services, and was a champion for race relations and collaborative partnerships; and
WHEREAS, the Metro Council is grateful for Mr. Walter’s unwavering commitment to this community.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I: Arthur M. Walters’ service to Louisville Metro is hereby recognized with the placement of an honorary street sign on the corner of South 16th Street and West Broadway next to the Louisville Urban League in Louisville, Kentucky and so designated as “Arthur M. Walters Way.”
SECTION II: The Department of Public Works is hereby directed to move forward with the fabrication of one honorary sign and the installation of one honorary sign upon the passage of this Resolution and the receipt of funds to cover the expense. The second honorary sign will be presented to the family.
SECTION III: This Resolution shall take effect upon its passage and approval.
|
_______________________________ H. Stephen Ott Metro Council Clerk |
_____________________________ David James President of the Council |
|
_______________________________ Greg Fischer Mayor |
_____________________________ Approval Date |
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY:
Michael J. O’Connell
Jefferson County Attorney
BY: ____________________________
R-144-18 Arthur M. Walters Honorary Sign (7-24-18).docx