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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF HECKY POWELL
WHEREAS, on May 22, 2020, the City of Evanston lost a friend, activist, role model, father figure and mentor to many young people, philanthropist, restaurateur and unofficial "mayor" in Hecky Powell. Hecky never wanted to be called "Mr. Powell," as he reserved that designation for his father, Forrest Powell; and
WHEREAS, Harry William Powell was born on November 6, 1948 at the then-Cook County Hospital in Chicago (now John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital). His mother Verna (Jenkins) Powell, a New Orleans native of Creole descent, was forced to deliver at Cook County because there was no room at the Community Hospital of Evanston, the only hospital in Evanston at that time that accepted black patients; and
WHEREAS, Hecky, one of nine siblings, inherited his name from his uncle. He had a wild streak as a teenager, which served him well in his later work as he mentored young people with similar tendencies. He earned a college degree at the University Without Walls, a nontraditional degree program at Northeastern Illinois, while working as a community organizer and social worker. He became the Executive Director at Neighbors at Work and created the Forrest E. Powell Foundation in 1994, a work-skills program for those without a college degree. He served as president of the Evanston branch of the N.A.A.C.P. He also served on the Evanston/Skokie District 65 School Board from 2001-2005, including a short stint as president of the Board. More recently Hecky was a member of the City of Evanston's Economic Development Committee and the Mayor's Employer Advisory Council; and
WHEREAS, Hecky met his wife, Cheryl Judice, a sociologist, while working together on community initiatives. In 1983, when the restaurant next to Hecky's office came on the market, they bought it. Though neither knew anything about running a restaurant, his mother Verna did. She and Forrest dove into the business offering a full bar...
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