HR0431LRB100 12822 MST 26477 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the passing of William
4"Bill" Drew of Waukegan, who passed away on May 14, 2017 at the
5age of 69; and
 
6    WHEREAS, William Drew contributed an enormous amount to his
7community of McKinley Park and the greater southwest side of
8Chicago, where he lived, loved, organized, and nurtured the
9community for the past 38 years; and
 
10    WHEREAS, William Drew has touched the lives of hundreds of
11individuals throughout his longstanding fight for justice and
12social change; during his college days, he was involved in the
13anti-war movement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; in
141972, he moved to Milwaukee where he became the editor of the
15Milwaukee Worker, where he organized and wrote stories about
16the struggles of the factory workers and minorities in the
17Cream City; and
 
18    WHEREAS, William Drew moved to Chicago in 1979 where he
19taught English as a second language to Mexican immigrants at
20Robert Fulton Elementary in the Back of the Yards, and where he
21also worked as an intake counselor for dislocated factory
22workers of the stockyards; it was in this neighborhood that he

 

 

HR0431- 2 -LRB100 12822 MST 26477 r

1met his beautiful wife, Gloria, whom he described as
2"incredibly strong, hard-working, and disciplined and the best
3thing that ever happened to me"; and
 
4    WHEREAS, William Drew was a tireless activist and leader,
5always pushing ahead with ways to make a positive difference in
6people's lives; he had multiple talents; he was a computer
7programmer and a tenacious and thoughtful organizer; during his
8later years, he worked furiously to create a space where
9McKinley Park residents could come together and use their
10collective power to improve their community and to fight for
11the rights of working families; this effort, which he named the
12McKinley Park Progressive Alliance, later morphed into the
13creation of the 12th Ward Independent Political Organization -
14which has propelled community engagement and served as an
15epitome for civic engagement in other wards of the southwest
16side of Chicago; and
 
17    WHEREAS, One of William Drew's greatest talent was his
18ability to find ways to collaborate and build relationships
19with people far and wide; there are few people who have had
20such a profound impact in the political empowerment of working
21and immigrant communities in the southwest side of Chicago; and
 
22    WHEREAS, William Drew's spirit and legacy live on in the
23hearts of the hundreds of people whose lives he touched; he is

 

 

HR0431- 3 -LRB100 12822 MST 26477 r

1survived by his wife, Gloria, and his two sons, Richard (Ricky)
2and William D. "Billy" Drew Jr. - whom he often referred to as
3his "biggest pride and joy"; and his siblings, Nora Renzulli,
4Jane Waller, and John Drew; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7mourn the passing of William "Bill" Drew, and extend our most
8sincere condolences to this family, friends, and all who knew
9and loved him; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of William Drew as an expression of our
12deepest sympathy.