RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Honorable John T. Downey has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 84; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, A longtime resident of New Haven, Connecticut, John T. Downey was an American hero of the Cold War era and the loving husband of Audrey; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable John T. Downey was the much-adored father of Jack Lee to whom he imparted many of the fine and noble qualities that he possessed in abundance; and
WHEREAS, The son of a judge, the Honorable John T. Downey graduated from Choate School and Yale University before joining the Central Intelligence Agency; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable John T. Downey's plane was shot down in 1952 while on a covert mission over China and he spent more than two decades in Chinese prisons; and
WHEREAS, In 1973 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger negotiated the Honorable John T. Downey's release and he was reunited with his family; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable John T. Downey graduated from Harvard Law School in 1976 and served as Secretary of Business Regulation and as Commissioner of the Public Utility Control Department for the State of Connecticut; and
WHEREAS, In 1987 the Honorable John T. Downey was appointed to a Superior Court judgeship and eventually rose to become Chief Administrative Judge for Juvenile Matters; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable John T. Downey retired in 1997 and the New Haven Courthouse and Detection Center was named in his honor in 2002; and
WHEREAS, The hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the Honorable John T. Downey serve as an example to all; and
WHEREAS, His love of life and ability to live it to the fullest endeared the Honorable John T. Downey to his family members, friends and all who knew him, and enabled him to enrich their lives in ways they will never forget; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable John T. Downey will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by his many relatives, friends and admirers; and
WHEREAS, To his beloved family, the Honorable John T. Downey imparts a legacy of faithfulness, service and dignity; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this nineteenth day of November, 2014, do hereby commemorate the Honorable John T. Downey for his grace-filled life and do hereby express our condolences to his family; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family oiAhe Honorable John T. Downey.