Bill Text: IL SR1381 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Charlotte Newfeld.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-01-10 - Resolution Adopted [SR1381 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SR1381-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | ||||||
3 | to learn of the death of Charlotte Newfeld, who passed away on | ||||||
4 | November 17, 2022; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was born to Rebecca and Jacob | ||||||
6 | Aronson in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on November 26, | ||||||
7 | 1930; she attended Von Steuben High School; she received her | ||||||
8 | Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin at | ||||||
9 | Madison; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld worked as a professional artist | ||||||
11 | at a gallery in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood and later at | ||||||
12 | Studio 23 on Lincoln Avenue, where she created her works in | ||||||
13 | ceramics, sterling silver, and watercolors; and
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14 | WHEREAS, In addition to her artistic talent, Charlotte | ||||||
15 | Newfeld was a fierce community activist; her contributions to | ||||||
16 | the Lakeview neighborhood, where she lived for nearly 60 | ||||||
17 | years, included improvements in education, open spaces, | ||||||
18 | neighborhood protections, and AIDS awareness; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was a tenacious advocate for | ||||||
20 | gay and lesbian rights since the early 1970s, being inducted | ||||||
21 | into the LGBT Hall of Fame in 1996; her contributions to the |
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1 | LGBT community included her advocating for appointment of a | ||||||
2 | mayoral liaison and actively lobbying to secure passage of | ||||||
3 | Chicago's human rights ordinance, which prohibits | ||||||
4 | discrimination because of sexual orientation, through | ||||||
5 | establishing the Lesbian and Gay Town Meeting in the | ||||||
6 | mid-1980s; she later lobbied for Chicago's hate crimes | ||||||
7 | ordinance and the Cook County human rights ordinance, all of | ||||||
8 | which include sexual orientation as a protected class; she | ||||||
9 | urged Mayor Harold Washington to establish a mayor's committee | ||||||
10 | on Gay and Lesbian Issues, which became the forerunner to the | ||||||
11 | present Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory | ||||||
12 | Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld actively participated in | ||||||
14 | numerous political campaigns and was once described as "the | ||||||
15 | Grand Dame of the lakefront liberals" by the Chicago Tribune; | ||||||
16 | she ran for alderman in the 46th Ward in 1983, losing by just | ||||||
17 | 66 votes; she worked for the late State Representative Larry | ||||||
18 | McKeon in his historic, successful run for state | ||||||
19 | representative of the 34th District of Illinois in the 1996 | ||||||
20 | Democratic primary election; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was the president of Citizens | ||||||
22 | United for Baseball in Sunshine (CUBS), leading the No Lights | ||||||
23 | campaign in an attempt to stop night games in Wrigley Field; | ||||||
24 | while night games ultimately prevailed, her group was able to |
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1 | ensure safety measures to protect the neighborhood and its | ||||||
2 | residents; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld's later years were dedicated to | ||||||
4 | her passion for nature and Chicago's lakefront; she was the | ||||||
5 | creative visionary for the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird | ||||||
6 | Sanctuary in Lincoln Park and was affectionately known as "the | ||||||
7 | Jarvis Earth Mother"; along with a cadre of volunteers, she | ||||||
8 | was instrumental in the sanctuary's restoration, protection, | ||||||
9 | and ongoing management; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was preceded in death by her | ||||||
11 | parents; her sisters, Janet and Arlene; her husband, Bernard; | ||||||
12 | and her son, David; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld is survived by her daughter, | ||||||
14 | Julie Newfeld, and her son-in-law, Greg Pranski; therefore, be | ||||||
15 | it
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16 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
17 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
18 | Charlotte Newfeld and extend our sincere condolences to her | ||||||
19 | family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | ||||||
20 | further
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21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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1 | presented to the family of Charlotte Newfeld as an expression | ||||||
2 | of our deepest sympathy.
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