RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is proud to have amongst its ranks many exemplary individuals who exhibit the Olympian spirit; and
WHEREAS, Aldermen Balcer, Reboyras and Tunney would like to recognize and pay tribute to one of those exemplary athletes, two time Olympian Christina Loukas; and,
WH EREAS, Christina, is the daughter of George and Patty Loukas, proud sister of Nick, Kosta and Stacey; and,
WHEREAS, born and raised in Riverwoods, Illinois, Christina studied gymnastics, swimming and diving from an early age, before switching to diving exclusively at twelve; and,
WHEREAS, she attended Deerfield High School and competed in the offseason with the Coho Swim Club; and,
WHEREAS, while attending Indiana University, Christina proudly represented the Indiana Hoosiers, where she was an eight time NCAA All-American, winning all three diving events at the conference championships, and was one of only four Big Ten divers to ever accomplish this feat.
WHEREAS, Christina went on to placing fourth at the 2008 FINA Swimming World Cup and then competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she placed ninth; and,
WHEREAS, after relocating to Texas in 2010, Christina began to train with Ken Armstrong at the Woodlands Diving Academy, the results of this training were a fourth place finish at the 2011 Worlds and a place on the 2012 Olympic Team; and,
WHEREAS, on August 5th, Christina finished eighth in the 3 meter Springboard Diving Event at the 2012 Summer Olympics; and,
WHEREAS, a lifelong Cubs fan, Christina also enjoys being outside, active and loves to cook; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we the Mayor and Members ofthe Chicago City Council, gathered here this third day of October, 2012, do hereby salute Christina Loukas and extend our best wishes for continued health and happiness in all her future endeavors; and,
03AI333-CJ
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy be prepared and presented to Christina Loukas.
SALUTE TO LIVING LEDGEND & MEXICAN NATIONAL TREASURE
VINCENTE FERNANDEZ
WHEREAS, Vicente Fernandez, an iconic star of motion pictures and the greatest Mexican vocalist of his day, will come to this city to perform at the Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont on October 20 and October 21, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Born on February 17, 1940 in the village of Huentitan El Alto, Jalisco, Mexico, Vicente "Chente" Fernandez is the son of rancher Ramon and Paula Gomez Fernandez. At the age of six, he was already dreaming of a singing career. Two years later, he learned to play guitar and began to study his country's folk music; and
WHEREAS, When he was 14 years of age, Vicente Fernandez entered an amateur contest in Guadalajara and won first place. He began by playing in local at restaurants and for weddings of friends and family in the "ranchera" style he heard on the radio; and
WHEREAS, On December 27, 1963, Vicente Fernandez married a former neighbor Maria del Refugio "Cuca" Abarca Villasenor. Their union was blessed with four children: Vicente, Gerardo, Alejandro and Alexandra; and
WHEREAS, In pursuit of his dream, Vicente Fernandez worked odd jobs such as janitor, dishwasher, waiter - whatever he could find all the while, still holding on to his musical aspirations. Fernandez devoted himself to music full time in 1960. He went back to his native state of Jalisco, where he performed as a street musician, appearing occasionally on the local television. Two years later, he sojourned to Mexico City where he found a job singing at a restaurant. When he wasn't working, he was auditioning for recording companies and consistently being turned down. Shortly before his marriage, his mother passed away at the young age of 47; and
WHEREAS, In spite of such spirit-crushing adversity, Vicente Fernandez persevered. In 1966, he landed a contract with CBS Mexico (now Sony BMG), recording the first of many hit singles such as "Tu Camino Y El Mio", "Perdoname" and "Cantina del Barrio"; and
WHEREAS, Vicente Fernandez appeared in his first film production in 1971 and starred in his first hit film "La Ley del Monte" in 1974. In 1976, his song, "Volver, Volver", broke all sales records with hundreds of groups from Mexico, Central and South America recording it. This was the song made him an international star. By the early 1980s, the music industry was calling him "El Idolo de Mexico"; and