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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
DEATH RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE OF CHRISTINE GEONVANIS
WHEREAS, Christine Geonavis served as communications director of the Chicago Teachers Union and was a lifelong and passionate advocate for social justice; and,
WHEREAS, Christine was born in 1959 to Thomas Geovanis, a former steelworker who became a Chicago City Colleges professor, and Rita Geovanis, nee Van Curen, who became an Early Childhood Education teacher and director; and,
WHEREAS, Christine grew up in the Roseland and Austin neighborhoods, where she attended Brennan and Ella Flagg Young schools. She completed elementary school at Charles E. Piper and graduated from Morton West High School in Berwyn; and,
WHEREAS, Christine began her social justice work at a very young age, canvassing door-to-door for progressive political candidates and defending the rights of Palestinians to their homeland during elementary and high school. During two years at the University of Chicago, she honed her critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills, and she continued to develop her strong artistic skills through classes at U. of C. and at The Art Institute of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, Christine had a 17-year career in Cook County Government in employee communications. In 2017 she began working for the Chicago Teachers Union as Communications Director. Her messaging helped rally broad support for teachers during the 2019 strike. She also helped the Union communicate its focus on educational equity throughout the district; and,
WHEREAS, Christine enjoyed warm relationships with many of the education reporters in the city and suburbs, while serving the interests of CPS teachers and staff under CTU presidents Karen Lewis, Jesse Sharkey, and Stacy Gates; and,
WHEREAS, In 1992, she met the love of her life and her collaborator in social justice work, Dick Reilly. Together over 27 years, they started HammerHard MediaWorks and Chicago Indymedia, two alternative news media sites providing community-driven journalism free of corporate interests; and,
WHEREAS, Christine died peacefully on February 12, 2024 at her home after a long illness. She was predeceased by her father Thomas; her stepfather Floyd Lung; her mother Rita; and her beloved partner Dick Reilly; and,
WHEREAS, She is survived by her siblings Nick Geovanis, Janet Geovanis, Vivienne Geovanis, and Carla (Tony Tallmadge) Geovanis; spiritual brothers Jeff Pickert and Scott Mechanic; nephews Jon Geovanis-Hollister, Isaac Geovanis-Schwartz, Theodore Geovanis-Schwartz, and Max Tallmadge; aunts Helen Bergman and Sandy Van Curen; cousin Becki Gerson; extended family in the Midwest and Germany; friends in the US and around the world; and her beloved dog Solo; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, does hereby celebrate the life of Christine Geovanis, and offer condolences to his family; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution be tendered to the family 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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