title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COMMEMORATING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE HONORABLE MARJORIE COLLENS
WHEREAS, Marjorie Collens represented some of the best qualities of citizenship and humanity through her life-long work as a supporter of the arts, community leader and elected official. When she died in early December she left behind a family, countless friends and a community enriched for having known her; and
WHEREAS, Marjorie Collens, spent her early years in Albany Park. She graduated from Von Steuben High School and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she got a bachelor's degree and met her husband, Lewis Collens; and
WHEREAS, Marjorie Collens was a remarkably talented woman whose intelligence and leadership qualities singled her out for distinction. Marjorie Collens was elected by the voters of Evanston's seventh ward to be their alderman. She diligently represented the ward from to 1984 to 1991 and will long be remembered for her support of the acquisition of property by the city in what became the Evanston Research Park. Her support promoting new downtown commercial and residential development sparked a renaissance in the city's downtown;
WHEREAS, Marjorie Collens forged strong bonds with her fellow elected officials that outlasted their terms of office and spanned decades. She was warmly received when she returned to the City Council Chambers in 2013 for a reunion of current and former city officials marking the city's 150th anniversary; and
WHEREAS, Marjorie Collens had the unique ability to regularly achieve her goals without rancor and, as a result was genuinely admired and respected by her peers. She formed and nurtured strong relationships and worked to resolve long standing issues between the city and its two largest institutions, Northwestern University and Evanston Hospital, both of which were located in the seventh ward; and
WHEREAS, Marjorie Collens was a longtime ad...
Click here for full text