IL SR1222

Brigadier General (Ret.) Walter James Whitfield of Phoenix, Arizona passed away on August 16, 2024.

Whitfield was born in Jackson, Mississippi on November 5, 1948, moved to Chicago's West Side at age eight, graduated from Tilden Technical High School in 1966, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967.

Whitfield served 41 years in the military, earning promotions from captain during the Vietnam War to brigadier general of the 33rd Separate Infantry Brigade in the Illinois Army National Guard, becoming the first Black brigadier general in the Illinois National Guard in 1992; he retired October 1, 1997.

Whitfield worked as an electrical engineer for Furnas Electric in Illinois from 1977 to 1995 and as a division solar engineer for Kyocera in Arizona until his retirement in 2017.

Whitfield was a lifetime member of William H. Patterson Elks Lodge #477, served as Exalted Ruler, and was a dedicated member of American Legion Post #1710 and VFW Post #65 where he served as post commander for two years; he was also an active member of Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago and First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix.