OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
MAYOR
March 24, 2021
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Garza, Osterman, Vasquez, Rodriguez, Rosa, Nugent, Reilly, Maldonado, Dowell, King, Hairston, Sawyer, Mitchell, Harris, Beale, Coleman, Moore, Curtis, Taylor, Brookins, Scott Jr., Burnett Jr., Ervin, Taliaferro, Austin, Mitts, Martin, Hadden and Cappleman, a congratulatory resolution regarding Dorothy Gaters.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours.
ayor
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Body are pleased to congratulate Dorothy Gaters for her forty-five years as head coach at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in the City of Chicago and for her many achievements as the State of lllinois's winningest basketball coach; and
WHEREAS, After moving to Chicago at a young age, Dorothy graduated from Marshall in 1964. Dorothy attended Crane Junior College, now Malcolm X College, and DePaul University, where she earned an education degree in 1969; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy returned to Marshall as a physical education teacher and founded the school's competitive girls' basketball program following the passage of Title IX; and
WHEREAS, The Marshall Commandos girls' basketball program first qualified for the Illinois High School Association State Championship in 1979, and Dorothy led the Commandos to their first often state titles in 1982; and
WHEREAS, In addition to their state titles, the Commandos have achieved 1,155 victories, four state runner-up finishes, five third-place finishes, and two fourth-place finishes, ranking the program among the most sucaessful nationwide; and
WHEREAS, Under Dorothy's leadership, the Commandos have produced eighteen high school All-Americans, five WNBA players, and one Olympic gold medalist; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the years, Dorothy was selected to coach at the 1992 WBCA High School All-America Game, the 2000 Junior Olympics, and the 2011 McDonald's All American Girls Game; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy is a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the association has named her as one of their Coaches of the Year over twenty times; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy has also been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame, regarded as the highest achievable accolade in high school sports and activities; and
WHEREAS, Nike, the world's largest sports apparel brand, featured Dorothy in a short film for its "Equality" campaign and honored her with a special colorway for its Blazer Mid '77 shoes in the Marshall school colors; and
WHEREAS, Dorothy has received many other awards and distinctions, including the Institute for Sport and Social Justice's 1998 Giant Steps Award and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2009 Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this twenty-fourth day of March, 2021, do hereby congratulate Dorothy Gaters for her outstanding achievements and many years of coaching; and