July 21 ,2021
Resolution: Reverend Ruben Cruz
WHEREAS, The members of the City Council of Chicago wish to recognize the many accomplishments and the passing of Rev. Ruben Cruz; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz departed this present life on Wednesday, May 12, 2021; and
WHEREAS, The City Council has been notified of his passing by The Honorable Harry Osterman, Alderman of the 48th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz served as the pastor of Chicago's First Spanish Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, starting in 1964; and
WHEREAS, Beyond his religious work, Rev. Cruz is known for his involvement in the media, starting his career in the 1960s with WMAQ-TV's Everyman Program of the Church Federation of Greater Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz also worked as a producer of WLS-TV's "Oiga Amigo" show to address the needs of Chicago's Hispanic community, a co-host of the show "Ayuda" on WCKJ-TV, and generally as a spokesperson for the city's Hispanic community; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz broke barriers as a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times the 1970s, writing the first Spanish column of its kind in a major metropolitan newspaper in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz has been recognized for his contributions toward Chicago's Hispanic community, earning the Governor's Citation of the Chicago Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his media programming regarding Chicago's Hispanic-American community; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz was instrumental with the CAPS Program, Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy, promoting the program through his media work; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz served on numerous Boards of Directors, including the Advisory Board of the Chicago Area Literacy and Reading Centers, die Media Commission of the Council of Hispanic American Ministries in the USA, the Chicago UNICEF Committee, and many others; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Cruz also worked closely with the government, serving as an appointed member of the City of Chicago's Board of Health under Mayor Richard J. Daley, a member of the Governor of Puerto Rico's Advisory Council on Mainland Puerto Rican Affairs, and as the Advisor on Latin American Affairs to the Secretary of State under President Carter; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this day of July 21, 2021 do hereby express our sorrow on the death of Rev. Cruz, and extend to his family and friends our deepest sympathy; and
Harry Osterman Alderman, 48th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Rev. Cruz as a token of our sympathy.
