RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Honorable Judge Mitchell Ware has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 86; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ware is survived by his five children, Pamela Marie Ware, Mitchell Stephen Ware, Gregory Patrick Ware, Bobby Ware, and Michael Paul Ware, eleven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ware attended St. Ambrose College on an academic and athletic scholarship; and
WHEREAS, Following St. Ambrose College, Judge Ware was drafted into the United States Army where he was recognized for his athletic skill and assigned to play on the United States Army football team in Europe, eventually playing for the Chicago Bears; and
WHEREAS, After football, Judge Ware launched a career in law enforcement and became one of Illinois' first Black state troopers; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ware also became a news reporter for WBBM and CBS News; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure as an agent with the Illinois Bureau of Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs, Judge Ware attended law school at DePaul University College of Law and clerked for Judge Parsons at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ware taught Criminal Law at DePaul University and then commenced his private law practice career with the law firm of Mazza, Massio, & Ware; and
WHEREAS, In 1970, President Richard Nixon appointed Ware to the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. For the rest of the 70s, Judge Ware rose to become Superintendent ofthe Illinois Division of Narcotics Control, Superintendent ofthe Illinois Bureau of Investigation and the Deputy Superintendent ofthe Chicago Police Department; and
WHEREAS, Ten years after starting his first practice, Judge Ware joined LaFontant, Wilkins, Jones & Ware and in the early 1980s Ware went on to become a founding partner of what became known as one ofthe largest and most respected minority law firms in the country, Jones, Ware & Grenard; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Ware's distinguished career culminated as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County Illinois where he served with distinction until retiring in 2006. Judge Ware was subsequently inducted into the Cook County Bar Association Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, To his beloved family, Judge Mitchell Ware imparts a legacy of faithfulness, service and dignity; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members ofthe Chicago City Council, assembled this twentieth day of May, 2020, do hereby commemorate Judge Mitchell Ware 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 of Judge Mitchell Ware.
Edward M. Burke Alderman, 14t'1 Ward