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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COMMEMORATING THE EXCEPTIONAL COURAGE AND LEGACY OF JOURNALIST JAMES FOLEY
WHEREAS, James Foley, a man whose inspirational life story of faith, courage and commitment to journalism ended far too soon, when, at age 40 his life was taken at the hands of Islamist extremists. He has left behind a devoted family, countless friends and a community profoundly enriched for having known him; and
WHEREAS, James Foley's exceptional generosity and kindness revealed itself early in life when he indicated to friends and family his strong desire to be an agent for change to make the world a better place. Shortly after he graduated from Marquette University in 1996, he took on the challenge to eliminate educational inequality when he joined Teach for America. Over the years Foley taught in low-income schools in Phoenix, Arizona, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, James Foley moved to Evanston, Illinois in his 30s to attend Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism where he pursued his Master's Degree in journalism. While attending Northwestern, James Foley continued his work to eliminate educational inequality; this time his pupils were participants in the Cook County Sheriff's Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center, a project that is an alternative to prison and is also known as Boot Camp. In Boot Camp, Foley, who was fluent in Spanish, worked as a language arts teacher; and
WHEREAS, after earning his Master's Degree in 2008 from Medill, he set off on his mission to tell the stories of people suffering in war-ravaged countries; he would eventually cover conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. His selfless bravery and devotion to his craft compelled him to continuously return to the troubled areas of the world even when doing so put his life and personal freedom in jeopardy; he was held captive in Libya for 44 days in 2011. After his release from Libya, he returned to Medill and spoke to students about how his religious faith and his relationships with the other captives sustained him through the ordeal; and
WHEREAS, despite having first-hand knowledge of the dangers of the region, James Foley was drawn back to tell the story of the suffering of the Syrian people. Foley was abducted in November, 2012, while covering the Syrian conflict, and was later tragically killed; and
WHEREAS, James Foley's absence will be felt most acutely by his family; he was the oldest of the five children of John and Diane Foley a devout Roman Catholic family from Rochester, New Hampshire. Despite the fact that his travels took him far from home, he maintained intensely close family ties throughout his life; and
WHEREAS, hundreds gathered to mourn James Foley at a solemn service at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in the New Hampshire community where he was raised. "There is no sense to be made of senselessness; you cannot find any kind of sanity in insanity," Father Paul Gousse told the congregation during his homily; 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 who he served dutifully, commemorates the extraordinary life of James Foley, and herewith expresses its sincere gratitude for the invaluable and innumerable contributions he has made to the Citizens of Cook County, Illinois; 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 James Foley.end