RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, it is with great sadness that members of this Chamber learned of the sudden death of the Honorable Henry Woods "Woody" Bowman, on July 10, 2015, at the age of seventy three; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council has been informed of his passing by the Honorable Thomas M. Tunney, Alderman of the 44th Ward; and,
WHEREAS, Woods was born in Charleston, W. Va., to an architect father who was originally from Chicago and where his maternal grandfather was a chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court and his great-uncle had been a state senator; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Bowman received his bachelor's degree in physics from MIT in 1964, a year after he earned a bachelor's in economics at MIT, and continuing his education he earned a PhD. in economics at Syracuse University, also attained a master's in Public Administration from Syracuse; and,
WHEREAS, Woods began his career as an assistant professor of economics at UIC and a research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, serving from 1977 to 1990 as a Democratic Illinois State Representative for the Evanston area, State Rep. Bowman introduced a number of reform fiscal policies the legislature; and,
WHEREAS, from 1990 to 1994, Mr. Bowman was Cook County's chief financial officer during the administration of County Board President Richard J. Phelan; and,
WHEREAS, Professor Bowman taught in the DePaul School of Public Service from 1995 through his retirement in 2012; and,
WHEREAS, not one to rest on his laurels, Woods, became the professor emeritus in the DePaul School of Public Service and would be often in the office, where other faculty members sought his advice and was part of a group that won a grant about three months ago to study the financial health of U.S. arts organizations; and,
WHEREAS, Woods was an active and vital member of the many charitable and civic organizations including Cook County task force on Unincorporated Areas, Taxpayer Action Board, Civic Federation Cook County Modernization Committee and served as pro-bono interim president and CEO for Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago; and,
WHEREAS, Woods is survived by his loving wife Michele M. Thompson, who will miss growing old with him and rooting for the Fighting Illini and visiting museums; and,
WHEREAS, Woods' love of life and his ability to live it to the fullest endeared Woody to his family, friends and all who knew him, and enabled him not only to enrich their lives in ways they will never forget; and,
WHEREAS, the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of Woods Bowman serves as an example to all; and
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this 31st of July 2015; do hereby honor the life and memory of Henry Woods "Woody" Bowman and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Henry Woods "Woody" Bowman as a token of our honor, gratitude and respect.
