RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Josephine "Jo" Dorothy Minow has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 95; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of her passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Jo is survived by her husband, Newton Baskin, three daughters, Nell, Martha, and Mary, three grandchildren, other family and friends; and
WHEREAS, Jo was born in Chicago to Salem and Bessie Baskin and grew up in the Lakeview neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, She graduated from Nicholas Senn High School and received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northwestern University in 1948; and
WHEREAS, After college, Jo worked for a year as an assistant to the Advertising Director for the Mandel Brothers Department Store, followed by a year teaching at the Francis W. Parker School; and
WHEREAS, In 1949, she married Newton Minow, who went on to serve as Chairman ofthe Federal Commerce Commission during John F. Kennedy's Administration, followed by a long career at the Sidley Austin Law Firm, where he remains Senior Counsel; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, she joined the Board of Directors ofthe Juvenile Protective Association, which she later led as President from 1973 to 1975; and
WHEREAS, Jo co-chaired the Juvenile Task Force ofthe Chicago Community Trust from 1978 until 1980 and was active in the Cook County Justice for Children Initiative and the Chicago Foundation for Education; and
WHEREAS, Jo was a founding member ofthe Northwestern University's Women's Board in 1978 and sat on many boards, including boards for the University of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History; and
WHEREAS, Jo was a longtime trustee of the Ravinia Music Festival, and from 1980 until 1983, she chaired Know Your Chicago, a University of Chicago sponsored group that organizes annual lectures and tours that promote civic awareness and participation; and
WHEREAS, In 1992, Jo published a children's book in verse that she wrote and her son-in-law illustrated, "Marty the Broken Hearted Artichoke"; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, Jo and her husband commissioned the 2006 book "Millennium Park: Creating a Chicago Landmark," which was published by the University of Chicago Press; and
WHEREAS, In 2012, Jo subsequently wrote two more children's books, "Pineapple Pete's Remarkable Feat," which was illustrated by her son-in-law, and "A Light in Every Window," which was illustrated by her granddaughter; and
WHEREAS, In 2013, a school in West Pullman bearing Jesse Owens' name was part of a wave of school closures, and with support from Jo and others, another school building nearby was renamed after Owens; and
WHEREAS, In her later years, Jo continued to focus on social justice. At the age of 85, she co-chaired an event at which she was honored for her longtime support of Chicago's Center on Halsted, which is a community center for the LGBT community; and
WHEREAS, Jo was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Caroline Margaret Mcllyaine Making History Award from the Chicago History Museum in 2018;. and
WHEREAS, To her beloved family, Josephine Minow 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 twenty-third day of March, 2022, do hereby commemorate Josephine Minow for her grace-filled life and do hereby express our condolences to her family; and
Edward M. Burke Alderman, 14th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy ofthis resolution be presented to the family of Josephine Dorothy Minow.