title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE MAXINE LANGE AND DR. CHARLES F. LANGE
WHEREAS, Maxine Lange, longtime community leader, activist and former Evanston Alderman from the 9th ward, died on October 8, 2013 at the age of 81, her devoted husband Dr. Charles F. Lange died six days later on October 14; and
WHEREAS, Maxine and Charles met when they were attending Roosevelt University in Chicago. From that moment forward the two were rarely apart. They married in 1953, and a year later moved to New Jersey, where Charles was stationed after being drafted into the Army. Afterward the couple settled in Evanston where they raised their children, Beth Lange, Amy (Jane Newman) Lange and Robert (Marcy) Lange; and became the proud grandparents of Noam, Rueben, Tatiana, Alexander and Eleanor; and
WHEREAS, Maxine and Charles Lange were staunch and hardworking advocates of fair housing and school integration. It was commitment to those and other values that inspired Maxine to run for the 9th ward aldermanic post in Evanston in the early 1970s, Charles was her strongest and most ardent campaign supporter; and
WHEREAS, Maxine Lange was elected and served on the Evanston City Council from 1971 to 1979 as Alderman from the 9th Ward where she was instrumental in making Evanston the "Dining Capital of the North Shore" by promoting an amendment to serve liquor in restaurants and hotels, a notable achievement in a once-dry town that was the headquarters of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and didn't allow a liquor store until 1984; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Lange was professor emeritus of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University of Chicago where he spent 25 years educating thousands of students and was a beloved member of the Loyola Community; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure at Loyola, Dr. Lange also taught, conducted research and provided laboratory services at Hines Veterans Hospital in Maywood. For many years, he also served as a judge at the Chicago Public Schools Science Fair; and
WHEREAS, After retiring from Loyola, Dr. Lange took classes in painting for many years at the Evanston Art Center and was on the Evanston Arts Council. Mr. Lange also was active in Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Northwestern University in Evanston, where he co-taught classes in visual arts, folk music, opera and science. He also was on the Institute's course selection committee; and
WHEREAS, Maxine Lange was a dedicated community volunteer, she served on the board of Youth Organizations Umbrella, an Evanston-based youth development agency, she helped found the Downtown Evanston Farmers' Market, which is going strong in its 38th year, she was an active member of the League of Women Voters, Services for Adults Staying in Their Homes and the Evanston Public Library; and
WHEREAS, Maxine Lange helped form a North Shore-based HMO, PruCare, where she worked as an administrator. Later she ran the hospice program for the Visiting Nurses Association, which was eventually absorbed by Evanston Hospital; and
WHEREAS, Maxine was a dedicated feminist and supporter of reproductive rights who proudly marched on the National Mall in Washington DC with her friends from the League of Women Voters and Planned Parenthood; and
WHEREAS, the Langes firmly believed that for Evanston to thrive it must be an inclusive and just community. Those values are what lead Maxine to establish the Evanston Community Foundation, an organization which builds, connects, and distributes resources and knowledge through local organizations for the common good; and
WHEREAS, Charles and Maxine had legions of friends with whom they enjoyed world travel and culture; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County takes great pleasure in commemorating the extraordinary lives of Maxine Lange and Charles F. Lange and herewith expresses its sincere gratitude for the invaluable contributions each of them has made and does hereby offer its deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the family and many friends of Dr. Charles F. Lange and Maxine Lange and joins them in sorrow at the loss of these remarkable people; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to the family of Dr. Charles F. Lange and Maxine Lange.end