RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, DORIS LEACH, was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, 20 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, and was raised in a share cropper's family of six that chopped cotton;
WHEREAS, Doris and her two sisters attended school which was made possible by her father, who negotiated with a white share cropper for months to open a school for black children;
WHEREAS, Doris admits that she was a big Day Dreamer and was taught at an early age to "hold you head up, do not talk in a bashful manner;" and who walked proudly when a school was finally opened;
WHEREAS, Doris moved to the Hyde Park area in 1948, and then to Alton, IL, but returned to Chicago in 1953 to apply for a job at Montgomery, Ward;
WHEREAS, on a Monday Doris passed a typing test for the position of Order Filler in the Catalog Division of Montgomery Ward, but there were no positions available for an African American Secretary;
WHEREAS, not to be defeated, Doris began working on that Monday as an Order Filler for the Catalog Division of Montgomery Ward, and later advanced to Merchandise Manager and Corporate Buyers Assistant before retiring in 1993;
WHEREAS, Doris met Willie Leach at a social gathering, and they were married after a wonderful courtship;
WHEREAS, in 1961, Doris and her husband Willie moved to the Greater Grand Crossing area to raise a family of three daughters and one son, at a time when African Americans were not openly welcomed;
WHEREAS, Doris and Willie decided to make a difference in their community by volunteering at Paul Revere Elementary School, working with the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts, the local PTA, and becoming long term members of Carey Temple AME Church;
WHEREAS, in 1961, Doris joined the South Oakwood Brookhaven Neighborhood Organization (SOBO) that was founded in 1960 by Dr. Isidore and Eileen Gerst, to establish a sense of community; stability; and improvements to the area;
WHEREAS, Doris and other members of SOBO pushed for a 60% housing development and 40% parking in the Greater Grand Crossing area;
WHEREAS, in 1972, as a result ofthe hard work of Doris and many other residents, SOBO sponsored the Leigh Johnson Court Apartments with the assistance of Rev. Leigh ofthe Church of Nazarene and Esther Johnson, a community resident;
WHEREAS, in 1972, the Chicago Park District also acquired the land for the proposed park on South Dobson Street; and in response to Doris, SOBO, and other community organizations, the park was named after Edison Hoard who was instrumental in the community service of Greater Grand Crossing;
WHEREAS, Doris served as Secretary and President for the SOBO organization for more than 15 years, and holds the title of President Emeritus; she is proud of her involvement with the organization and the positive accomplishments in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood;
WHEREAS, Doris retired in 2001 and began her next career as a volunteer at Kennedy King College for the Non-Credit Continued Education College Courses where she remained until her retirement in 2013;
WHEREAS, Doris still resides in Greater Grand Crossing, and is still involved with Hoard Park, Paul Revere Elementary School, Chicago Policing Strategies, Block Clubs, and several Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood activities;
WHEREAS, Doris is preceded in death by her husband, son, and one daughter;
WHEREAS, Doris states: "I have slowed down a bit, I pray for the children, but I am still a Day Dreamer!"
NOW THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Mayor and Members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled this 14th day of December, 2022, do hereby honor the service of DORIS LEACH, and extend our sincere congratulations for her service to the community, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that suitable copies ofthis Resolution be presented to DORIS LEACH as a sign of our good wishes.