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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LANE TECH BLACK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
WHEREAS, Lane Tech College Prep High School is a co-educational learning institution governed under the auspices of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) offering a curriculum with a particular emphasis on the technical aspect of education; and,
WHEREAS, Lane Tech College Prep High School has been in existence for 116 years and to date is the largest high school in Chicago with more than 4,000 students enrolled representing all races, creeds, and national origins. The faculty is comprised of 250 professional educators and over 100 additional staff; and,
WHEREAS, Lane Tech College Prep High School has a reputation for producing students who matriculate through ivy league institutions, are the finest leaders in engineering, medicine, mathematics, science, journalism, accounting, music, the arts, and politics to include Commissioners Monica Gordon, Donna Miller, Chief Financial Officer Tanya Anthony, a host of Cook County employees, and Lane Tech’s principal Edwina Thompson, who are a portion of the Lane Tech Black Alumni Association; and,
WHEREAS, Lane Tech College Prep High School has a tradition of offering a competitive athletic program with more than 500 city championships, earning the nickname “School of Champions;” and,
WHEREAS, The Lane Tech Black Alumni Association (LTBAA) began unofficially in the late 1990s with 12 alumni of the 1980s gathering annually for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas at a restaurant owned by a fellow Lane Tech alum for fellowship and to strengthen their bond; and,
WHEREAS, at the request of Mrs. Gayle Ramsey, a beloved physical education teacher Sherlanda Brooks, one of the founders of LTBAA, class of 1987, raised funds to aid Lane Tech Black Student Association members needing financial support to attend the annual black college tour; and,
WHEREAS, this fundraising effort formed into the annual Lane Tech Black Alumni Association and Friends Black Friday Fundraiser to raise funds to support the Lane Tech Black Student Association, a fundraiser that has grown from $500 to $10,000 with a goal to raise $20,000 in 2024; and,
WHEREAS, Mrs. Ramsey, now retired is still an active participant and works to galvanize both current and retired African American teachers from Lane Tech College Prep High School to support the efforts of the LTBAA; and,
WHEREAS, in 2018 the LTBAA received its not-for-profit status and in the same year instituted an annual picnic to continue to fellowship together as a group; and,
WHEREAS, in all efforts, the LTBAA honors the spirit of their alma mater found in the school’s motto, “Wherever you go, whatever you do, remember the honor of Lane.”
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, does hereby celebrate the members of the Lane Tech Black Alumni Association during Black History Month; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be tendered to Lane Tech College Prep High School and the Lane Tech Black Alumni Association, as a token of the esteem held by the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
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