[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E716-E717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO DR. DENNIS DEER PH.D., COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 2, 
                         COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 10, 2024

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, to the immediate and extended 
family, staff, friends, supporters, constituents, colleagues, and well-
wishers of my dear friend, colleague, comrade, political ally, and our 
senior representative on the Cook County Board, I rise to honor Dr. 
Dennis Deer.
  I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ and 
I am sure that he has already said to Dennis, welcome home my good and 
faithful servant. I have known the Deer Family for more than fifty 
years when I met and worked with his parents; father Herman, Mother 
Shirley and their neighbors who founded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
Health Center in North Lawndale on West Greenshaw Street, they lived on 
Greenshaw Street, it was one of the first of ten centers of its kind in 
the United States, now there are fourteen hundred and they are 
servicing more than 30 million low and moderate income individuals. Of 
course, that portion of Greenshaw Street is now Honorary Shirley Deer 
Way. I lived on West Greenshaw Street. Dennis grew up around community 
activism and politics. He took to it like a duck takes to water, 
attended George W. Collins High School where my wife taught, my friends 
were principals, teachers and administrators. He went off to college, 
returned home, earned additional college degrees, married his high 
school sweetheart, wonderful wife Barbara, settled in the community, 
they have three children and he became a leader, worked with President 
Bobbie Steele, Commissioner Bob Steele, the Turner Family, the Scott 
Family, Lawndale Christian and the Faith Community to help bring the 
North Lawndale Community back to a state of optimistic redevelopment 
and it is on a roll.

[[Page E717]]

  Dr. Deer's service has been simply outstanding, he was an effective 
legislator, helped promote and pass Second Chance, helped nationalize 
the idea that gun violence is a Public Health Crisis, he was an 
outstanding community leader, he was the most loyal, most trustworthy 
and most likeminded political ally I have ever had, he was my friend 
and a representative of the people. He was also an outstanding 
businessman before becoming a County Commissioner, I remember when we 
took a business delegation to the Arab Emirates and Dennis was meeting 
with Warren Buffett and other top businesspersons in our country. Yes, 
our friend and brother from West Grenshaw Street has moved on but he 
has left an indelible mark on the North Lawndale Community and on 
Government in Cook County that can and will never be erased or 
forgotten. Yes, Brother Dennis, he has been the best, he has done the 
best.
  Now, yes, we will keep working to keep the candles lit and the fires 
burning. May he be at peace.

                          ____________________