Title
To Recognize and Celebrate Rupert “Twink” Starr and his Contributions to the City of Columbus
Body
WHEREAS, the youngest of three boys, Rupert “Twink” Starr was born and raised in Mt. Sterling, Ohio where he left to study Business Administration at Ohio University and joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in 1940; and
WHEREAS, six months before his college graduation, Twink volunteered into active duty with the Army and was assigned to the 101st Infantry Division in 1945 in time to fight in the “Battle of the Bulge”; and
WHEREAS, he would later be awarded a Bronze Star and a Combat Infantry Badge for his bravery after volunteering to sneak past German enemy lines and his refusal to surrender that led to his capture and serving as prisoner of war as he spent four months in Nazi prison camps; and
WHEREAS, after helping to secure victory in Europe, Twink went on to graduate from Ohio University before starting a successful career in real estate, serving as the President of the Columbus Board of Realtors and in senior advisory positions on many business and civic organizations in the City of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, Twink met his partner and love of his life Allan Wingfield in 1954, and would go on to become a mighty LGBT activist helping to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; and
WHEREAS, honored as the Grand Marshall of the Stonewall Columbus Parade in 2009 for his activism and dedication to his country, Twink remains an inspiring force in the Columbus community and serves as a role model for many; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize and celebrate Rupert “Twink” Starr and his contributions to the City of Columbus on this Sunday, July 16, 2017.