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SR 235

A RESOLUTION adjourning the Senate in honor and loving memory of Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman.

2025 Regular Session

Honors Ulysses Junior Bridgeman with a Senate memorial; adjourns in his memory and recognizes his sports, business, and civic contributions to Kentucky and Louisville.

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Bill Summary · SR 235

Summary — SR 235 (Kentucky Senate Resolution honoring Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman)

Status: Adopted
Introduced: March 7, 2025
Final action (Read & adopted / Reported enrolled): March 11, 2025
Type: Senate resolution (memorial / honorary)

Purpose and intent

SR 235 is an honorary resolution by the Kentucky Senate that adjourns the Senate in honor and loving memory of Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman and publicly recognizes his life, career, community service, and contributions to Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Key provisions

  • Expresses the Senate’s profound sympathy on the passing of Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman.
  • Recognizes Bridgeman’s achievements in athletics (high school, college, and professional basketball), his business accomplishments, and his extensive community service.
  • Directs that when the Senate adjourns on the day of adoption it does so “in honor and loving memory” of Bridgeman.
  • Directs the Clerk of the Senate to transmit a copy of the resolution to the Office of Senator Gerald Neal for presentation to Bridgeman’s family.

Factual highlights cited in the resolution

  • Native of East Chicago, Indiana; member of East Chicago Washington High School’s undefeated 1971 Indiana state championship team.
  • Star guard at the University of Louisville: Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year (1974, 1975); led Louisville to the 1975 NCAA Final Four (lost to UCLA in OT by one point). Collegiate averages: 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists; team record 72–17 over three seasons.
  • Selected eighth overall in the 1975 NBA Draft (Los Angeles Lakers) and traded to the Milwaukee Bucks; 12-season NBA career, 849 games, 13.6 points per game; Bucks retired his No. 2 jersey.
  • Business career: built a large restaurant franchise portfolio (reported ownership of over 450 Wendy’s and Chili’s locations), Coca‑Cola bottler, owner of Ebony and Jet magazines, and became a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024.
  • Civic involvement: chair of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees and board member for multiple Louisville nonprofit and civic organizations.
  • Date of death cited: March 11, 2025; noted he passed away while attending a Boy Scouts fundraiser.

Who is affected / impact

  • This is a ceremonial, non-binding resolution with no legal or budgetary impact. Primary effects are symbolic: it memorializes Bridgeman’s legacy, offers official condolences, and provides a formal copy to the family. It recognizes and elevates community and historical record of his contributions to Kentucky.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced to the Senate March 7, 2025; read and adopted and reported enrolled on March 11, 2025.
  • The Clerk was directed to transmit the resolution to Senator Gerald Neal’s office for delivery to the Bridgeman family.

Note: The document provided for review also contained text fragments of other resolutions from other jurisdictions (different SR 235 texts recognizing the Georgia Beverage Association and addressing animal-welfare observances in Illinois). Those are unrelated to this Kentucky Senate resolution honoring Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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