RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber were deeply saddened to learn of the death on February 23, 2018, at age 85, of Edna LucilleJackson, a respected citizen of the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Born on September 7, 1933 in Ironton, Ohio, a small town on the Ohio River near the border of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, Ms. Jackson was the only child of Geraldine and Freddie Higgins. A tiny infant, Ms. Jackson was affectionately nicknamed "Biddy" by her mother's family, a name they still call her today; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Jackson's mother, Geraldine, worked as a teacher's assistant and doctor's assistant. Her stepfather, Robert Algernon Livisay, was a veteran and foundry worker, and the first African American to serve on Ironton's City Council; and
WHEREAS, Educated in Ironton's public schools until her junior year in high school, Ms. Jackson moved to Chicago with her Aunt Edna, a registered nurse, and her aunt's husband, Earl Bell, a Pullman dining car waiter, before being joined in Chicago by her parents. Together, they lived on 41st Street in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, where Ms. Jackson graduated from Wendell Phillips High School in 1951. Ms. Jackson's family took pains to ensure that their beloved "Lucy" - as Ms. Jackson was also known - was exposed to the best of Chicago's culture and society. During this critical juncture in her life, Ms. Jackson made lifelong friends, who prepared for college together and supported one another throughout their lives; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from high school, Ms. Jackson briefly attended George Williams Teacher's College. She subsequently transferred to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where she pledged Delta Sigma Theta, a national public service sorority, and graduated with a degree in Physical Education; and
WHEREAS, Returning to Chicago to find employment, Ms. Jackson briefly worked in a zipper factory until she was offered a position at Englewood High School as an instructor in the physical education department. A dedicated and talented teacher, who was deeply committed to her students, Ms. Jackson was named PE Department Head. After completing a Master's Degree in Administration, Ms. Jackson became a guidance counselor at Englewood High School and later was named Assistant Principal in charge of discipline. Although Ms. Jackson passed the qualifying examination to become a Chicago Public School principal, she never pursued the opportunity at another school because she believed that the young people at Englewood High School needed her the most. * Mr. Jackson retired from Englewood High School after 39 years of service; and
WHEREAS, The loving mother of two daughters, Ms. Jackson was a hard-working, energetic and well-travelled woman, as well as a voracious reader and active member of her community. She served for ten years as President of the University Park Condominium Association; as a dedicated civic volunteer in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood; as a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Chicago Alumni Chapter; and as a member of the "FBI" (Fifties Black Illini); and
WHEREAS, In her later years, Ms. Jackson lived in an assisted living facility, where she received a Certificate of Appreciation for participating in Rush University Medical Center's Long-Term Study on Aging, before succumbing to a long battle with Parkinson's disease; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Jackson is survived by her daughters, Paula Faye Robinson and Carla Geraldine Robinson; by her nephew, Troy Cicero; by her two dear friends, Tena Williams and Bonnie Orton; by a host of relatives in Ironton, Ohio; and by a bevy of wonderful co-workers, neighbors and sorority sisters; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City ofChicago, assembled this twenty-eighth day of February 2018, do hereby honor the life and memory of Edna Lucille Jackson, and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Edna Lucille Jackson, as a sign of our sympathy and good wishes.
Pat Dowell
Alderman, 3rd Ward