title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
YVONNE N. DAVIS, IN MEMORIAM
WHEREAS, Yvonne Davis Arelia Nicholas Davis was born to Harry Nicholas and Irma Catherine Shane on January 11, 1937 in Evansville, Indiana and sadly passed away March 13, 2024; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne Davis was an educator and a guide in academics and life; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne Davis regularly shared with pride that she received her education at schools designated for people of color, including the all-Black Lincoln High School (1954), and her beloved Fisk University (1958) where she earned a BA Speech and Dramatics; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Alpha Beta Chapter while attending Fisk. After graduating from Fisk, Yvonne moved to Evanston, Illinois where she met her husband of 54 years, Carl Edwin Davis; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne later earned a Master’s Degree in Education Administration at Northwestern University, as well as a Reading Specialist Certification from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne began her career as an educator at Jenner School, in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood, where she had as many as forty students in her first-grade classroom. As a testament to her commitment, Yvonne made it a point to make sure every child in her first-grade classroom learned how to read by the time they completed the school year; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne brought her talents to Evanston/Skokie School District 65. During this time she served on and led a number of boards, committees, and initiatives, including Director of Title VI, a district-wide multicultural awareness initiative partnership with A World of Difference; and
WHEREAS, Upon Yvonne’s retirement from District 65, she led the successful efforts to rename Timber Ridge School to Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School (a tech and innovation centric school at the time), in honor of the school’s principal and Yvonne’s friend and colleague; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne served as Second Baptist Church’s chairman of the trustee board, trained new trustees, chaired a host of committees, lent her lovely soprano voice to the sanctuary choir and senior singers, initiated a number of different programs in the life of the church and had a special place in her heart for the seniors and youth of the church; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne served as Education Superintendent for the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) for a number of years; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne played a pivotal role in researching and compiling crucial information, essential to
the successful implementation of the Family Employment Security Act (FESA) of 1981. This was the country’s first iteration of what is now the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and
WHEREAS, Yvonne’s local activism in the Evanston community saw her become the first woman to serve as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors at the Evanston Public Library; Yvonne was a co-founder the UNITY Scholarship Fund in 1985; and Yvonne also helped to charter the Theta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at Northwestern University in 1971; and
WHEREAS, Yvonne's great joy in life was her grandchildren. She was a constant support and source of education and activity for them, taking them to music and theatre productions, attending their school functions, making sure they knew their history, and providing loving care to them and their friends; and
WHEREAS, Preceding Yvonne in death was her husband, Carl Davis who passed away in 2014. Yvonne is survived by her sons Karl Gregory and Jared Nicholas Davis (Beatrice); Aunt Ruby J. Mason of San Carlos, CA; Grandchildren: Allyssa of Tampa, FL., Aarynn of Atlanta GA, Nicholas, Lauren, and Myah of Evanston, IL.; as well as a number of cousins and lifelong friends; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County hereby honors Yvonne Davis for her contributions to society and a life spent devoted to her faith, family and community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be provided to the sons and extended family of Yvonne N. Davis.
end