‘Senseless violence’: Charlie Kirk remembered by suburban leaders

Before the viral podcasts, cable news appearances and fiery speeches to thousands, Charlie Kirk was a Wheeling High School Wildcat.

A basketball standout, an Eagle Scout and a kid who grabbed the attention of seasoned political organizers.

“He was unusually confident and calm for a 17-year-old,” recalled Republicans of Wheeling Township President Dan Patlak, who invited the teenager to speak at the group’s headquarters in the 2010s.

“I was so impressed with his demeanor and his sincerity, a short time later I wrote his group a check,” Patlak said.

Kirk, 31, the force behind the popular right-wing Turning Point USA organization, was fatally shot Wednesday in Utah doing what he reveled in — speaking to students at a college.

“It’s horrific what was done,” not only to Kirk, “but also to his wife, his two kids, his parents,” Patlak said. “They’re the ones that are really suffering right now and for what?”

Kirk got a taste of campaigning as a high school junior, volunteering for former Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk. He later joked it was because they shared the same last name.

He dreamed of attending United States Military Academy at West Point but was rejected, which turned out to be a springboard.

In 2012, Kirk founded Turning Point, at the same time he was racking up points on Wheeling High’s varsity basketball team.

“Wheeling, which shot 29% … was led by Charlie Kirk, who had 12 points and 8 rebounds,” a February 2012 Daily Herald story notes.

“He was always more clear on his surroundings and always better at questions,” Kirk’s father, Robert, told the Daily Herald in 2013. “Always better able to understand what's happening than your typical kid.”

Kirk attended Harper College in Palatine between 2013-2014 and kept growing his following, staging debates at colleges across the U.S.

“Charlie is not just a national conservative voice, he’s someone I’ve called a friend since he was a junior at Wheeling High School,” said Illinois Republican State Central Committee member Aaron Del Mar of Palatine.

Del Mar attended a Kirk golfing fundraiser in Wheeling when the pundit was “a short, little kid. He just hadn’t hit tall.”

Over the years, “he found a niche for himself,” Del Mar said. That meant “going to places where he wasn’t wanted. He still did. He engaged with so many people.

“To see such senseless violence strike someone who has dedicated his life to giving a voice to others is heartbreaking.”

In 2019, Kirk moved to Florida and penned an op-ed in the Daily Herald.

“As a person who makes his living in the political world, a big part of what I try to do is separate my emotions from rational thought in hopes of being able to see the world as clear-eyed as possible. So, it is with much sadness, but after considerable rational analysis, that I have decided to say goodbye to the state of Illinois, the place that from this point on will have the qualifier of being my ‘childhood home,’” Kirk wrote.

“Like many other young people who are statistically likely to have their best earning years ahead of them, this decision will help me avoid the high taxes, excessive regulation and the corruption of Illinois politicians and government,” he said.

But Kirk didn’t forget his roots, returning to Illinois to speak at events like the 2021 Northwest Suburban Lincoln Day dinner.

“He was scheduled to speak for 45 minutes, he spoke for an hour and a half. Nobody left,” Patlak said. “Charlie really seriously wanted to move the country forward,” and believed in listening to opposing views.

Wheeling Mayor Pat Horcher called the violence, “the extreme edge of the political spectrum. We need to rein it in. This is not what American politics is about. If you feel like you need to shoot someone to win the argument, you’ve already lost.”

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 officials stated that “Charlie will always remain part of our community. We are deeply saddened by his passing.”

Officials from both parties reacted in shock Wednesday.

“Charlie’s work for Republicans in Illinois and across the country was invaluable,” Republican Party of Illinois Chair Kathy Salvi of Mundelein said in a statement. “Charlie gave an important and unique voice to young people across the country and engaged in thoughtful, open, and honest dialogue that our country desperately needs.”

Gov. JB Pritzker posted that “the attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying. Political violence has no place in this country and should never become the norm.”

· Daily Herald archives contributed to this report.