RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 1, 2026
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners celebrating President Valdas Adamkus (As Revised)
Body
WHEREAS, President Valdas Adamkus served the United States Environmental Protection Agency from 1970 to 1997, including as the Regional Administrator for Region 5 and the Great Lakes National Program Manager for 16 years; and
WHEREAS, while at the EPA, President Adamkus undertook countless actions to benefit the Great Lakes, including protecting the pristine Crystal River in Michigan despite strong political opposition, was instrumental in establishing the Great Lakes National Program Office, and initiating the cleanup of the Waukegan Harbor Superfund site, once called the “world’s worst PCB mess;” and
WHEREAS, President Adamkus grew up in Lithuania and joined its resistance movement as a teenager during World War II, later fleeing with his family to Germany and then moving to Chicago in his early 20s, eventually earning a degree in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. After retiring from the EPA, President Adamkus moved back to Lithuania and ran for president, hoping to stamp out political corruption and gain closer ties to the West. He did win the election in 1998 and again in 2004; and
WHEREAS, President Adamkus has received a Distinguished Career Award from the EPA, as well as having been named Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations, and in 1985, President Ronald Reagan presented him with the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civil servant; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, as his 100th birthday approaches next month on November 3, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago recognizes President Valdas Adamkus for his significant contributions to protecting our environment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be spread upon the official record of proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Dated: October 1, 2026