RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, This Body wishes to extend its deeply felt sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Mae Bridgeforth Melendez Hodge, who passed away at the age of 99 on November 25, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge was born in Athens, Alabama on October 4, 1918 to parents Lallie Bedingfield Bridgeforth and William S. Bridgeforth; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge grew up in Alabama and attended Alabama State University for one year before moving to Chicago in 1936; and
WHEREAS, In 1942 Mae Hodge married Doctor Stanis S. Melendez, a union which ■'" produced two children: Carmen and William; and
WHEREAS, While raising her children, Mae Hodge continued her education and received her BA. in Primary Education from Chicago Teacher's College (now Chicago State University). She went on to earn a Master's Degree from LaVerne University; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge was married a second time, to attorney Woodrow W. Hodge, and they had a child together, Donna Renee; and
WHEREAS, A longtime resident of Hyde Park, Mae Hodge taught primary education in Chinatown, Woodlawn, Englewood and Hyde Park; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge was active in politics throughout her life. She worked tirelessly to help attorney Claude Holman be elected 4th Ward alderman. She was also very proud of her work helping Harold Washington become Chicago's first elected black Mayor; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge participated in civic activities her entire life She earned The Most Distinguished Woman Award, bestowed on her by the NAACP for raising the most money for that pioneering organization in 1969; and
WHEREAS, Her other community and philanthropic causes included the Harriet Harris YMCA and the South Side Community Art Center, for which she served as president. She was honored that the Center, located at 3831 South Michigan Avenue, was dedicated on May 7, 1941 by then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt She also was a member of the Illinois Children's Home and Aid Society, a charter member of the Jet Set, and Windy City Links, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Soroity and the Crochet Club. Mae Hodge was an opera singer and continued her love of opera by working with the Bravo Chapter of Lyric Opera; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge loved her garden and often entertained guests there. Her get-togethers included celebrities Sammy Davis, Jr., Ozzie Davis and Ruby Dee. Along with her brother Bill, she enjoyed rehabbing homes throughout the City, owning several in Hyde Park; and
WHEREAS, A worldwide traveler, Mae Hodge visited six continents in her lifetime, enjoying the history, culture, food and music everywhere she went; and
WHEREAS, Mae Hodge was a devoted wife, mother and a role model and mentor to all who knew her. She was eternally positive, had an infectious smile and a twinkle in her eye. A
strong believer in faith and prayer, she considered her home church to be St. Edmund's Episcopal Church; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this thirteenth day of December, 2017, do hereby honor the life of Mae Bridgeforth Melendez Hodge and we extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Mae Bridgeforth Melendez Hodge as a token of our sympathy and esteem.