OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT MAYOR
October 7, 2020
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Dowell and King, a resolution honoring the life and memory ofthe Reverend Leon Finney Jr.
Your favorable consideration ofthis resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours.
Mayor
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber were deeply saddened to learn of the death on September 4, 2020, at age 82, of the Reverend Doctor Leon D. Finney, Jr., a community organizer and the founder and pastor of Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Finney was born on July 7, 1938, in Louise, Mississippi, to Barbara and Leon Finney, Sr., founder of famed South Side eatery Leon's BBQ. The eldest of six children, Dr. Finney and his family relocated to Chicago when he was a child; and
WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, Dr. Finney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served our Country with distinction as a criminal investigator and counterintelligence officer. Dr. Finney received an honorable discharge in 1966; and
WHEREAS, Following his return to Chicago, Dr. Finney became involved with The Woodlawn Organization, where he worked to bring new houses, businesses, and development projects to the Woodlawn community area, as well as to protect the rights of residents to determine the direction of their neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, As president of the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation, Finney organized the investment of millions of dollars for residential and commercial development in Woodlawn, and managed thousands of residential properties; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Finney earned a Master of Theological Studies degree and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Chicago's McCorrnick Theological Seminary, where he later served as a professor and as Executive Director of the seminary's African American Leadership Program; and
WHEREAS, D...
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