A portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. hangs above a memorial service for the slain civil rights leader at Holy Angles Catholic Church at 607 Oakwood Blvd. on Jan. 15, 1974, in Chicago.

A portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. hangs above a memorial service for the slain civil rights leader at Holy Angles Catholic Church at 607 Oakwood Blvd. on Jan. 15, 1974, in Chicago. (William Kelly/Chicago Tribune )

Illinois' first celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1974

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On September 17, 1973, Illinois became the first state to make Martin Luther King Day a legal holiday with the signage of a bill by Gov. Dan Walker. The first observance for the new holiday came in January 1974, on King's birthday.

Framed by an altar rail, members of the Wendell Phillips High School choir sing a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15, 1974, at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Chicago.

Framed by an altar rail, members of the Wendell Phillips High School choir sing a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15, 1974, at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Chicago. (William Kelly/Chicago Tribune)

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A portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. hangs above a memorial service for the slain civil rights leader at Holy Angles Catholic Church at 607 Oakwood Blvd. on Jan. 15, 1974, in Chicago.

A portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. hangs above a memorial service for the slain civil rights leader at Holy Angles Catholic Church at 607 Oakwood Blvd. on Jan. 15, 1974, in Chicago. (William Kelly/Chicago Tribune )

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Sadness fills the eyes of a woman at a ceremony for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 14, 1974, at Holy Angles Catholic Church in Chicago.

Sadness fills the eyes of a woman at a ceremony for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 14, 1974, at Holy Angles Catholic Church in Chicago. (Lynette Miller/Chicago Tribune)

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Holding her daughter on her lap, a woman wipes away a tear as she listens to a recording of a speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at a memorial service in his honor at Holy Angels Catholic Church on Jan. 15, 1974, in Chicago.

Holding her daughter on her lap, a woman wipes away a tear as she listens to a recording of a speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at a memorial service in his honor at Holy Angels Catholic Church on Jan. 15, 1974, in Chicago. (William Kelly/Chicago Tribune)

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A young girl listens to Gov. Dan Walker’s memorial speech at a ceremony for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Chicago on Jan. 14, 1974.

A young girl listens to Gov. Dan Walker’s memorial speech at a ceremony for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Chicago on Jan. 14, 1974. (Lynette Miller/Chicago Tribune)

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