RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Robbie Harris Y. Patton, a widely admired resident of the 26th Ward and a proud Centenarian of the City of Chicago, will celebrate the joyful occasion of her 101st Birthday on July 8, 2019; and
WHEREAS, This Chicago City Council has been informed of this special event by Alderman Roberto Maldonado; and
WHEREAS, Born in 1918 in Clarksdale, Arkansas, during World War I when Woodrow Wilson was President, Robbie is the much-beloved daughter of the late Elemeater Nelson Harris and Frank Harris; and
WHEREAS, Raised in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee where she attended Booker T. Washington High School, Robbie moved to Chicago in 1936 following her high school graduation; and
WHEREAS, Robbie was skilled in cosmetology services as she was a trained hairdresser. She also attended the Kelley Massages Institute. She worked as a massage therapist at Kaplan's Community Center in Skokie, Illinois before getting a job at Crane Packing Company in Morton Grove, Illinois. She worked many dedicated years at Crane Packing before retiring in 1969; and
WHEREAS, At age fifteen Robbie joined Newport First Baptist Church. Her faith followed her to First Baptist Congregational Church in Chicago where she has been a member for fifty-six years. She is a beloved leader of the church and also has served on the Mothers Board; and
WHEREAS, During her long and fruitful life, Robbie has been an active community leader who has generously volunteered her time to many organizations. She was a volunteer for Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Chicago Chapter for more than twenty-seven years. She was also a member of the Nonagenarians Family, a volunteer for the Girl Scouts of America and a volunteer for Battered Women and Wayward Girls; and
WHEREAS, Robbie has also been an avid traveler and visited several countries, such as Jamaica and Bermuda, as well as twelve states; and
WHEREAS, Having witnessed eighteen presidents in her lifetime, Robbie is not only a wealth of knowledge but also a truly cultured individual. In recognition of the rich history to which Robbie has witnessed and contributed to, the Chicago City Council believes that Robbie is deserving of adulation and good wishes as she celebrates her 101st birthday, and
WHEREAS, Robbie will celebrate her birthday in the presence of friends and family. She will carry with her the spirit of her late husband, Johnnie Patton, and her late daughter, Bobbie M. Reese; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this 24th day of July, 2019, do hereby congratulate Robbie Harris Y. Patton on her 101s' birthday, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented for Robbie Harris Y. Patton as a token of gratitude, honor and respect.
Alderman Roberto Maldonado, Ward 26