RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF MAY 15, 2025
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and honoring Ernest C. Wong
Body
WHEREAS, on March 28, 1979, President Jimmy Carter issued Presidential Proclamation 4650 designating the week beginning May 4, 1979 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, highlighting the dynamic role that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders play in our society with contributions in the fields of science, arts, industry, government, and commerce; and
WHEREAS, on October 23, 1992, Public Law 102-450 was passed designating May of each year as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. With the passage of this Law, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month became an enduring symbol of the appreciation and gratitude of the United States towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander community; and
WHEREAS, Ernest C. Wong serves as the President and is a founding member of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, and is an accomplished landscape architect. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is honored to have Mr. Wong as the guest speaker at this year’s celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Wong has been instrumental in fostering the landscape architecture profession in Chicago over the last 35 years, having established a reputation for creative design solutions and developing thoughtful, community-oriented urban spaces, including Riverwalk East, Pioneer Court, Mary Bartelme Park, and Henry Palmisano Park, formerly Stearns Quarry; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Wong is also a strong supporter of community engagement, and sits on the boards of multiple nonprofits, including the Driehaus Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, the City Parks Alliance, and as the Chair of the Chicago Landmarks Commission: and
WHEREAS, in 2021, Mr. Wong was awarded the Daniel H. Burnham Distinguished Service Award from the Lambda Alpha International Land Economics Society Ely Chapter, which is given to honor Chicago’s civic leaders for their contributions that help make Chicago a better place to work and live. That same year, Mr. Wong also received the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Community Service Award, recognizing his service to the community demonstrating sound values of landscape architecture, and in 2022, he received the March of Dimes’ Professional Services Award; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will be celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on Thursday, May 22, 2025 from noon to 1 p.m.at the Barbara J. McGowan Main Office Building, 100 E. Erie St., Chicago; 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 our staff, do hereby recognize May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and honor Ernest C. Wong; 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.
Dated: May 15, 2025