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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3to learn of the death of Charlotte Newfeld, who passed away on
4November 17, 2022; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was born to Rebecca and Jacob
6Aronson in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood on November 26,
71930; she attended Von Steuben High School; she received her
8Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin at
9Madison; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld worked as a professional artist
11at a gallery in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood and later at
12Studio 23 on Lincoln Avenue, where she created her works in
13ceramics, sterling silver, and watercolors; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In addition to her artistic talent, Charlotte
15Newfeld was a fierce community activist; her contributions to
16the Lakeview neighborhood, where she lived for nearly 60
17years, included improvements in education, open spaces,
18neighborhood protections, and AIDS awareness; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was a tenacious advocate for
20gay and lesbian rights since the early 1970s, being inducted
21into the LGBT Hall of Fame in 1996; her contributions to the

 

 

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1LGBT community included her advocating for appointment of a
2mayoral liaison and actively lobbying to secure passage of
3Chicago's human rights ordinance, which prohibits
4discrimination because of sexual orientation, through
5establishing the Lesbian and Gay Town Meeting in the
6mid-1980s; she later lobbied for Chicago's hate crimes
7ordinance and the Cook County human rights ordinance, all of
8which include sexual orientation as a protected class; she
9urged Mayor Harold Washington to establish a mayor's committee
10on Gay and Lesbian Issues, which became the forerunner to the
11present Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory
12Council on Gay and Lesbian Issues; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld actively participated in
14numerous political campaigns and was once described as "the
15Grand Dame of the lakefront liberals" by the Chicago Tribune;
16she ran for alderman in the 46th Ward in 1983, losing by just
1766 votes; she worked for the late State Representative Larry
18McKeon in his historic, successful run for state
19representative of the 34th District of Illinois in the 1996
20Democratic primary election; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was the president of Citizens
22United for Baseball in Sunshine (CUBS), leading the No Lights
23campaign in an attempt to stop night games in Wrigley Field;
24while night games ultimately prevailed, her group was able to

 

 

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1ensure safety measures to protect the neighborhood and its
2residents; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld's later years were dedicated to
4her passion for nature and Chicago's lakefront; she was the
5creative visionary for the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird
6Sanctuary in Lincoln Park and was affectionately known as "the
7Jarvis Earth Mother"; along with a cadre of volunteers, she
8was instrumental in the sanctuary's restoration, protection,
9and ongoing management; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld was preceded in death by her
11parents; her sisters, Janet and Arlene; her husband, Bernard;
12and her son, David; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Charlotte Newfeld is survived by her daughter,
14Julie Newfeld, and her son-in-law, Greg Pranski; therefore, be
15it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
17ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
18Charlotte Newfeld and extend our sincere condolences to her
19family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it
20further
 
21    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the family of Charlotte Newfeld as an expression
2of our deepest sympathy.