RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, William ("Bill") Hood, Jr. has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 78; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Bill is survived by his wife, Vicki Mood, sons Elliott and Tyler Hood, grandchildren Alden, Lincoln, Harper, and Michael Hood, and sister Martha Smith; and
WHEREAS, Bill was born in Chicago in 1944 the eldest son to William Hood, Sr. and Margaret Hood (nee Comstock); and
WHEREAS, The family moved to William, Sr.'s hometown of Waverly, Illinois (Morgan County), where Bill and his sister Martha were raised; and
WHEREAS, He attended Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he worked as a photographer at local newspapers to pay his tuition, and then he attended Northwestern University Law School in 1969; and
WHEREAS, In 1968, Bill worked as the photographer for Illinois Attorney General William Clark's U.S. Senate campaign, where he found himself photographing people and scenes ofthe demonstrations and violence that erupted during the Democratic National Convention, and subsequently many of Bill's photos from then have been published in books and magazines profiling the convention; and
WHEREAS, Bill began his career as a teacher and then worked as an investigative reporter for the Better Government Association (BGA); and
WHEREAS, At the BGA, Bill met his wife, Vicki Vallen, who was then interning at the BGA while an undergraduate at Northwestern; and
WHEREAS, Bill and Vicki celebrated their 50th anniversary in November 2022 at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), where Bill served as a member since 1967 and on the board since 1996; and
WHEREAS, After the BGA, Bill worked as a lobbyist for Continental Bank and LaSalle Bank and was instrumental in the passage of legislation lifting restrictions on banks opening multiple branches; and
WHEREAS, After working at LaSalle Bank, Bill worked for years at American Airlines as Managing Director of Government Affairs, where he helped expand the company's presence in Chicago and enabled American Airlines to support many Chicago cultural institutions; and
WHEREAS, Bill served on th e board of many-institutions in Chicago and Palm Springs; California including as the Chairman of the Columbia College.Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, Bill was a fantastic cook and voracious reader, he loved French culture aridcooking, and he enjoyed watching sports and cheering for his beloved Chicago teams; arid
WHEREAS, To his beloved family, Bill imparts a legacy of generosity, compassion, devotion to family and unwavering faith in God; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this Eighteenth day of January, 2023,.do hereby commemorate Bill for his grace-filled life and db hereby express our condolences to his family; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the familyof Bill Hood.
Edward M. Burke Alderman, 14th Ward