RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 19, 2015
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners congratulating Commissioner Frank Avila and his wife Sherry on their 50th Wedding Anniversary
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Whereas, Chicago-born Frank Avila met Peoria-born Sherry Hooste at Esther Hall, a Methodist Girl’s Club owned by the United Methodist Church, 537 West Melrose, Chicago, 1961; and
Whereas, Frank received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, January 1961, and Sherry received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education, January 1966, from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois; and
Whereas, Frank and Sherry Avila married November 27, 1965 at Broadway United Methodist Church, 3344 N. Broadway Street, Chicago; and
Whereas, in 1965, Frank worked for the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago and Sanitary District employees attended their wedding; and
Whereas, except for two years (1966-1968) when Frank and Sherry lived in Tucson, Arizona, where Frank completed his Master’s Degree in Finance at the University of Arizona, 1968, Frank and Sherry lived in Chicago 48 of the 50 years of their marriage; and
Whereas, Frank and Sherry have been very blessed with three wonderful children and two wonderful grandchildren: son Frank (his wife Rachel) and 19-year-old grandson Clarence and 4 1/2-year-old granddaughter Thalia; son Quinn (his wife Jackie); and, daughter Audrey; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry both participated wholeheartedly in the school, church, community, and extracurricular activities of their three children; and
WHEREAS, Sherry’s passion for the visual arts influenced Frank to also be passionate about the visual arts through Sherry’s role as a docent at Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA); and
WHEREAS, Sherry’s singing with the Irish Heritage Singers and her role as a docent at the Irish American Heritage Center broadened Frank’s understanding of the Celtic culture, encouraging them both to learn Irish Ceili and Set Dancing and participate in many other Celtic cultural activities; and
WHEREAS, Frank owned and operated AVILA & ASSOCIATES, INC., a Consulting Engineering Company, for about 27 years; and
Whereas, Frank and Sherry together collected 17,000 signatures to get Frank on the ballot as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago for the third time; and, Frank finally won the third election (2002); and then he won the fourth election (2008) and the fifth election (2014); and
WHEREAS, Frank serves as Chairman of Finance on the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and he has received numerous awards; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry together produced numerous CAN-TV shows including “COMMISSIONER FRANK AVILA SPEAKS...” and many TV shows about the Environment and Sherry’s “AVILA FINE ARTS” and “AVILA MAKING A DIFFERENCE”; and many of these CAN-TV shows are on “YOU TUBE” and other web sites on the Internet; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry traveled together all over the world including China, Russia, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, Turkey, Canary Islands, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and all over the USA to about 35 of the 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry shared the trials and triumphs of five decades together with commitment, perseverance, and unyielding strength; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry attribute the success of their marriage to sharing an intense love of family, religion, laughter, education, health, the world, travel, and the fine arts; and
WHEREAS, Frank and Sherry Avila thank everybody who has touched their lives during their 50 years of marriage.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff extend our congratulations to Commissioner Frank and Sherry Avila on the joyous occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary on November 27, 2015, and wish them continued health and happiness, and many more happy years together; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Commissioner Frank and Sherry Avila.
Dated: November 19, 2015
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; MICHAEL A. ALVAREZ; TIMOTHY BRADFORD; CYNTHIA M. SANTOS; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Ronald M. Hill, General Counsel