MEMORIAL RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF DECEMBER 16, 2010
Title
MEMORIAL RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners extending sympathy and condolences to the family of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs
Body
WHEREAS, Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs passed peacefully in her sleep, at home surrounded by her family on November 21, 2010; and
WHEREAS, she was born Margaret Taylor Goss on November 1, 1915 in St. Rose Louisiana to Alexander and Octavia Pierre Taylor and had moved to Chicago with her family by the age of five; and
WHEREAS, as a teen, Dr. Burroughs attended Englewood High School and it was there that she began her role as a community activist when she and classmate Gwendolyn Brooks joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ("NAACP") Youth Council; and
WHEREAS, Margaret went on to attend Chicago Teachers College and earned a Bachelor's Degree (1944) and a Master's Degree (1948) in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, she enjoyed success as a world renowned artist, having had her art displayed at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C., the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, the Los Angeles County Museum, and abroad, including exhibits in Germany, Mexico, Poland and the Soviet Union
WHEREAS, one of the most significant accomplishments from a long and impressive list of Dr. Burroughs was her role as a founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History, currently the oldest and largest caretaker of African American Culture in the United States, with her husband, the late Charles Burroughs in her living room at 3800 South Michigan Avenue nearly 50 years ago; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burroughs was also an educator, having taught at DuSable High School, Elmhurst College and Kennedy-King College; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burroughs also served as a Commissioner for the Chicago Park District upon her appointment by the Late Mayor Harold Washington in 1986 until her death; and
WHEREAS, she was awarded the Paul Robeson Award in 1989, an award named after the African America Singer and actor known for his political activism in the 1950s, an honor also enjoyed by Studs Terkel, Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burroughs has also received the President's Humanitarian Award, a Presidential Appointment to the National Commission on Black History and Culture and the International Year of the Woman Award: Catalyst for Change; and
WHEREAS, Margaret was also a published author and poet, beginning her career as a writer for the Associated Negro Press, later expanding into children's literature with publications Jasper the Drummin Boy (1947) and Did You Feed my Cow? (1956) and poetry including What Shall I Tell My Children Who are Black (1968) and Africa, My Africa (1970); and
WHEREAS, she will be particularly missed on Christmas Day at the Cook County Jail where for the past 35 years, she has spent the day with the Reverend Jesse Jackson visiting inmates and sharing of herself; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burroughs's family and friends will remember her as described by President Barack Obama, "as an esteemed artist, historian, educator and mentor"; 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, extend our sympathy and condolences to the family of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs; 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 the family of Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs.
Dated: December 16, 2010
Approved: TERRENCE J. O'BRIEN, President; KATHLEEN THERESE MEANY, Vice-President; CYNTHIA M. SANTOS, Acting Chairman, Committee on Finance; MICHAEL ALVAREZ; FRANK AVILA; PATRICIA HORTON; BARBARA J. MCGOWAN;; DEBRA SHORE; MARIYANA T. SPYROPOULOS;Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Approved as to Form and Legality: Alan J. Cook, Acting General Counsel