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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF ROSALIE CLARK
WHEREAS, Rosalie Clark, the City of Chicago's Director of Protocol for nearly two decades, died on June 26, 2020 at the age of 95; and
WHEREAS, born on the South side of Chicago on April 16, 1925, Clark attended St. Casimir Academy-Maria High School, where she participated in chorus and drama, and later attended Mount Mary University in Milwaukee; and
WHEREAS, Clark was married to William G. Clark, a former state legislator, Illinois Attorney General, and Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Clark gained experience hosting fundraising events, meeting with reporters and high-profile government officials, and attending other campaign functions. It was during this time that she met Jane Byrne, then City Commissioner of Consumer Sales, who hand-picked Clark to serve on her staff after winning the 1979 Chicago mayoral election. Clark initially intended to work as the Director of Protocol only "for a year or two", but instead stayed to work under Mayors Byrne, Harold Washington, David Orr, Eugene Sawyer and Richard Daley; and
WHEREAS, Clark's duties involved greeting dignitaries and heads of state, arranging "courtesy visits" for celebrities wanting to meet the Mayor, and acting as "the City's chief hostess" for a wide array of events. She purchased cold-weather gear for Polish statesman Lech Walesa when her boss insisted on holding an outdoor rally in midwinter, scrambled to arrange Mikhail Gorbachev's impromptu visit to the Hard Rock Cafe, where he dined on nachos and beer and mingled with "real Chicagoans", coordinated a City Hall reception for the Dalai Lama, and watched Nelson Mandela deliver a speech wearing Bulls merchandise. She escorted celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford and Tony Bennett, and squired around Bishop Desmond Tutu, whom she described as "so warm and outgoing." Above all, Clark was responsible for making visitors feel at home - as she ...
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