ORDINANCE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. Pursuant to an ordinance heretofore passed by the City Council, which allows for the erection of honorary street-name signs, the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation shall take all necessary action for the standardization of West 110th Street between South Racine Avenue and South Throop Street as "Pastor Eugene Olison Way".
Carrie M. Austin Alderman, 34th Ward
SECTION 2. This ordinance shall take effect upon its passage and publication.
PASTOR EUGENE O LIS ON
Pastor Eugene Olison: pastor, teacher, philanthropist, husband, father, citizen, and friend. Those that have been graced with his presence in any capacity knew him to have embodied of one of his many aforementioned roles with the humility and grace of a true humanitarian. His life was dedicated to restructuring the lost ideals that surround the family while incorporating Godly principles. His belief and teachings superseded the boundaries of bloodlinesgiving no preference to race, ethnicity, creed, religious belief or denomination. He believed and taught that if we are to be productive in any facet of society, the familial structure must be maintained. While his audience was broad, he ministered this message from the pulpit in a community ravished with violence, fatherless homes, homelessness, poverty and hopelessness. Pastor Eugene Olison's devotion to ministry of the Bible was life changing; there was nothing to be added or taken away from it. Period. The covering of his family came second only to his homage to God and showing God's people the path to Hope that the Bible speaks about, it became his life's work.
Pastor Eugene Olison was born in Mississippi on August 20,1948 to a slave and a servant in the United States Armed Forces. His father drowned when he was only 2 years old. At a very young age, he relocated to Chicago, Illinois with his mother and only sister. He was educated through the public school system. His life was plagued with many mistakes and failures, some of which prevented him from graduating the 12th grade. Life continued along this pattern until he met what would mean everything in the world to him: Rhonda Sharon Harris.
His union to Rhonda proved to be a defining moment in his life. He earned his GED and even went on to college. Pastor Olison and his family lived in an impoverished community, where few fathers or strong families existed. Although financial resources were extremely limited, he refused to allow his economic hardship to handicap him as it pertained to the rearing of his family. Determined to be the father and provider he had not himself had, Pastor Olison went to work at a uniform store and later a physically demanding construction career. He and his wife accepted Christ in 1985 and were ordained Pastors in 1988. Several sacrifices were required, but Pastor Olison never forsook his commitment to God or his family.
Pastor Eugene Olison founded Hope of Glory Full Gospel Ministries in 1989; the foundational years of services being held in a rented room at the Washington Park Y.M.C.A. It was a bible study that was open and available to all. Through the years, the ministry had metamorphasized. There were three services a week and under his guidance and leadership. In 2006, Hope of Glory acc[uir.ed_their own property to holcTservice, conferences,
Cseminars, and cQungeJing__sessions for xhujxhJ=-and-communitv-.membgrsJ located Jn^ th~e~Morgan~Parkj
cl>mmunity-(1241-W-110lhJ&^^ Olison vowed early on, never to charge^ieopleToFthe
spreading of the gospel. That principle has afforded countless people and their families to share in the Hope that Pastor Olison found in Christ.
Pastor Eugene Olison and his wife successfully put 5 children through college; they all have earned at least a Bachelor's degree, with one holding a Masters Degree and another compleJting-a_Doctorate_pjogram^^Jop Universityjn thej^te^^HHnoisjIn-addition to thisr Pastor Olison"was_a father-and^mentor to sojnan.y that L -HaclTsuchjn_their_liv.es;J^gavejound-advice-and many-charto
-^cd^munityj' Pastor Eugene Olison compiled his life's journey and experiences in an effort to effectively communicate a message of Hope to those that were lost, and continued to do so until his last breath on December 6, 2010.
Pastor Eugene Olison: A transformational staple in the Morgan Park community and surrounding areas, that will never be forgotten. His legacy remains.
November 19, 2014
To Alderman Carrie Austin and Mr. Chester Davis,
My name is Eugenia Olison, I am the daughter of Pastor Eugene Olison. J am requesting that my
% ^J th ' 1
father obtain an honorary street name, on IjXr Sf between!Racine and Throop_St_Lhave enclosed a letter about who he was and signatures from families on the block. Thank you in advance for your consideration regarding this.
I can be reached at:
773.879.7841
4840 S Indiana Chicago IL 60615