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RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, President Barak Obama has bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom Newton N. Minow, a highly distinguished member of the legal profession; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this honor by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Newton N. Minow was credited with making televised presidential debates a permanent part of our nation's political landscape and was an early advocate for communications satellites; and
WHEREAS, A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin bravely served his country during World War II as a Sergeant in the United States Army and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Northwestern University; and
WHEREAS, Newton N. Minow joined the law firm of Mayer, Brown & Piatt before accepting a position as a law clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Fred M. Vinson; and
WHEREAS, Newton N. Minow became an assistant counsel to Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson and later Chaired the Federal Communications Commission under President John F. Kennedy; and
WHEREAS, In a speech delivered to the National Broadcasters Association Convention in 1961, Newton N. Minow famously coined the term "a vast wasteland," a criticism that has reverberated throughout the television industry for many decades; and
WHEREAS, Newton N. Minow served on the Board of Governors of the Public Broadcasting Service from 1973 to 1980 and as its Chair from 1978 to 1980; and
WHEREAS, Newton N. Minow served from 1965 to 1991 as Managing Partner of the law firm of Sidley Austin where he remains Senior Counsel; and
EREAS, Newton N. Minow is an Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Singapore; and
WHEREAS, The hard work, sacrifice and dedication of Newton N. Minow serve as an example to all; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council assembled this fourteenth December, 2016 do hereby congratulate Newton N. Minow on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
