HR1315 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1315 LRB097 23538 MST 72538 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Dr. Irene H. Brodie on her life's accomplishments and her time as mayor of Robbins; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie is currently serving in her 24th consecutive year as mayor, making her the current, longest-serving, female African-American mayor in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie moved to Robbins at the onset of her professional career as a teacher and educator; she taught at Kellar Elementary School and later became assistant principal at Turner Elementary School; while teaching, she completed coursework to earn her doctorate in education from Northeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie joined Moraine Valley Community College when it only had a few buildings to accommodate a student population of 12,000; after only 2 years, she became the first African-American dean at Moraine Valley Community College; during her tenure, the school grew to be the second largest community college in Illinois with a student population well over 30,000; she has hired, financially supported, tutored, counseled, and graduated hundreds of residents from Robbins and the surrounding communities; while working at Moraine Valley, she served as village clerk for Robbins for 12 years; after her retirement, the college named a section of the B-Building in her honor; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie began her second career with her campaign for mayor of Robbins in 1989; her mayoral scholarship has funded tuition costs for hundreds of students throughout the years and her individual efforts have produced teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, and educators around the globe; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie has a history of service to her community, including, serving as vice-president of the Illinois Municipal League, executive board member and assistant secretary of the National Conference of Black Mayors, and appointed chair of the Education Committee and Scholarship Committee for the National Conference of Black Mayors; she has been appointed to numerous gubernatorial transition teams, a member of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus under former Mayor Richard Daley, served on various State and federal advisory boards, served as guest lecturer in 1993 and 1994 to the Harvard University Graduate School of Business, and served on President Bill Clinton's environmental think-tank group; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Brodie is married to J. Edmon Brodie and has one child, Jeraye E. Brodie; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dr. Irene Brodie on her 24th consecutive year as mayor of Robbins, and we honor her life's accomplishments; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Irene Brodie, mayor of Robbins, as an expression of our esteem and respect.