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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to honor Dr. Irene H. Brodie on her
4life's accomplishments and her time as mayor of Robbins; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie is currently serving in her 24th
6consecutive year as mayor, making her the current,
7longest-serving, female African-American mayor in the nation;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie moved to Robbins at the onset of her
10professional career as a teacher and educator; she taught at
11Kellar Elementary School and later became assistant principal
12at Turner Elementary School; while teaching, she completed
13coursework to earn her doctorate in education from Northeastern
14University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie joined Moraine Valley Community
16College when it only had a few buildings to accommodate a
17student population of 12,000; after only 2 years, she became
18the first African-American dean at Moraine Valley Community
19College; during her tenure, the school grew to be the second
20largest community college in Illinois with a student population
21well over 30,000; she has hired, financially supported,
22tutored, counseled, and graduated hundreds of residents from

 

 

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1Robbins and the surrounding communities; while working at
2Moraine Valley, she served as village clerk for Robbins for 12
3years; after her retirement, the college named a section of the
4B-Building in her honor; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie began her second career with her
6campaign for mayor of Robbins in 1989; her mayoral scholarship
7has funded tuition costs for hundreds of students throughout
8the years and her individual efforts have produced teachers,
9lawyers, doctors, engineers, and educators around the globe;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie has a history of service to her
12community, including, serving as vice-president of the
13Illinois Municipal League, executive board member and
14assistant secretary of the National Conference of Black Mayors,
15and appointed chair of the Education Committee and Scholarship
16Committee for the National Conference of Black Mayors; she has
17been appointed to numerous gubernatorial transition teams, a
18member of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus under former Mayor
19Richard Daley, served on various State and federal advisory
20boards, served as guest lecturer in 1993 and 1994 to the
21Harvard University Graduate School of Business, and served on
22President Bill Clinton's environmental think-tank group; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie is married to J. Edmon Brodie and has

 

 

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1one child, Jeraye E. Brodie; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we congratulate Dr. Irene Brodie on her 24th consecutive year
5as mayor of Robbins, and we honor her life's accomplishments;
6and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Dr. Irene Brodie, mayor of Robbins, as an
9expression of our esteem and respect.