RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 16, 2017
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners recognizing Veterans Day
Body
WHEREAS, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day for November 11, 1919, to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I and honor those who served; and
WHEREAS, in 1945, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks from Birmingham, Alabama led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I; and
WHEREAS, in 1954, Congress declared Veterans Day a national holiday to be observed on November 11th; and
WHEREAS, as President Wilson said at the declaration of the first Armistice Day, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations”; and
WHEREAS, the District honors Secretary of State Jesse White, who in addition to serving our county and State in elected office, served his country as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and as a member of the Illinois National Guard and Reserve; and
WHEREAS, the District recognizes Harry F. Sawyer, who served honorably in the U.S. Navy, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, and upon his discharge joined the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs as a Veteran Service Officer where he spent the next three decades helping veterans and surviving family members to obtain benefits earned through military service. In 2015, Mr. Sawyer was designated to serve as Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and
WHEREAS, the District honors and appreciates the service of both Secretary of State Jesse White and Assistant Director Harry F. Sawyer, and is proud to recognize their commitment to the United States of America; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do hereby recognize Veterans Day and honor the service of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces; 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 copies of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to Jesse White and Harry F. Sawyer.
Dated: November 16, 2017
Approved: MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS, President; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN, Vice President; FRANK AVILA, Chairman, Committee on Finance; TIMOTHY BRADFORD; MARTIN J. DURKAN; JOSINA MORITA; DEBRA SHORE; KARI K. STEELE; DAVID J. WALSH; Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Susan T. Morakalis, General Counsel, STM:aw