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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION HONORING MARILYN FAKLIS RUIZ
WHEREAS, Marilyn Faklis Ruiz has and continues to contribute endlessly in public life and to her community; and
WHEREAS, she attended Tonti and Gage Park High School on the southwest side of Chicago, attended the University of Illinois Navy Pier and then graduated as a University Scholar from New York University. As an avid learner, she continued her studies at National Louis University, Loyola University and Northwestern University; and
WHEREAS, Marilyn was active in both paid and volunteer positions from the early 1960’s in Chicago, continued in NYC politics/policy with her then council member who eventually became a NYC mayor, and continues to active in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, her academic career began in the 1970’s that included teaching at New York University (NYU) and as part of a team developed an educational partnership program between NYU School of Education and the Court of New York for ‘mothers charged with child abuse’; and
WHEREAS, she also became a working participant in the United Nations program declaring 1975 as the International Woman’s Year with the designation of March 8 as International Woman’s Day; and
WHEREAS, as an academic professional in higher education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), she was a member of a select and dedicated team who initiated and developed the UIC Great Cities Institute, a university wide urban research institute from where she retired in 2010; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, she led the first non-partisan deputy registrar campaign in Evanston; in addition to coordinating Evanston’s first pro-choice rally in 1989; and
WHEREAS, she has had two retail businesses in Evanston and was one of the founders of the Evanston Main Street Merchants Association working closely with the Evanston Chamber of Commerce; and
WHEREAS, in her Evanston community of almost fifty years, she has served as President of Optima Towers Condominium Association and currently serves as Chair of Evanston First Responders Foundation, Executive Committee member of Downtown Evanston, and V.P. of Canal Park Neighborhood Association; and
WHEREAS, she continues to serve the Evanston community through CERT (Community Emergency Response Team through Emergency Management/Evanston Fire Department-EFD) and the Medical Reserve Corps (through the City of Evanston) where she served in the Evanston vaccine clinics. For her work in CERT with fire assistance in 2010, she received a recognition award from the EFD and City of Evanston and continues to serve in an ‘emeritus’ position; and
WHEREAS, her family, friends, son, John, and daughter-in-law and dogs are the source of love and joy in her life; and
WHEREAS, she is the valued mentor to Commissioner Josina Morita and “Thea” to her children Kai and Meiko; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of the Cook County Commissioner would like to recognize and honor Marilyn Faklis Ruiz for her dedicated efforts and contributions in public service, education, and to her community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution are presented to Marilyn Faklis Ruiz.
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