TRIBUTE TO LATE MR. PHILIP T. KALAYIL
WHEREAS, It was with great sadness that members of this chamber learned of the death of Philip T. Kalayil, one of the pioneers of the Indian-American community, on March 13, 2017 at the age of 86; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by the Honorable Margaret Laurino, Alderman of the 39th Ward; and
WHEREAS, His quest for education and to serve his fellow man brought Philip to Chicago in 1956 from the coastal state of Kerala, India to pursue his graduate work at Loyola University. Early on, Philip was committed to "reducing intergroup prejudice," focusing his thesis on those disadvantaged groups such as Indian students and their experiences with discrimination and prejudice; and
WHEREAS, Philip quickly found himself engaged in grassroots organizations and his compassion and charisma made him a perfect fit for various leadership roles in and around the City of Chicago. Upon beginning his education, he would organize events for fellow international students; and
WHEREAS, With a double Master's in Sociology and Industrial Relations in hand, Philip worked as a social worker for Catholic Charities. As his love for public service grew, he took on a change in career paths working in the Department of Human Services, where he retired as Assistant Director of Emergency Services; and
WHEREAS, Philip integrated his professional skills into his passion for community service and advocacy, especially for those who had been underrepresented and underserved. Philip launched organizations including the Indian Catholic Association of America (ICAA), the Asian Forum, and the Indo-American Democratic Organization (IADO); and
WHEREAS, Because of his exemplary leadership and achievements in bridge-building between diverse racial and ethnic groups, the Association for Asian American Studies honored Philip with the Heart of Asian America Community Award in 2008. His biggest contribution to the Asian American comm...
Click here for full text