[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16039]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING MY FRIEND AND HERO, MRS. JEAN CLELAND

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2013

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend and 
hero, Mrs. Jean Cleland, who passed away on September 9th, 2013. Jean 
Cleland was the happiest, most gallant and giving hands-on social 
justice advocate I have encountered. Jean was committed to all aspects 
of her life from advocating for social justice, to her family, and her 
faith.
  She was a devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother to her 6 
children and 3 grandchildren. The Cleland home was open to all the 
neighborhood children where they enjoyed playing on a zip line 30 years 
ago and had frequent backyard barbeques. She and her husband Robert 
refused to get a television in their home until the mid-60s because 
they felt time was better spent reading, playing and enjoying family 
time together. Jean and Bob were happily married for 65 years at the 
time of his death in 2010.
  A role model and friend, Jean worked at the North Shore Senior Center 
as a Case Manager and Director of Community Education for 35 years, 
until early 2013. In the '50s and '60s Jean became one of the founders 
of the Wilmette Human Relations Committee and the North Shore Summer 
Project. Those programs were essential for ending north suburban 
housing discrimination. The North Shore Summer Project organized Dr. 
Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1965 speech on the Winnetka Village Green, and 
Jean had the honor of pinning an ``Equal Housing'' button on Dr. King's 
lapel the day he gave that famous speech to more than 8,000 people. 
Jean often said it was the highlight of her life.
  As a strong and independent family, Jean and Robert belonged to 
Wilmette's First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, for 54 
years. They were leaders in opposing the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, 
and persistent voices for peace and nuclear disarmament. Jean was a 
firm believer in justice and the notion that justice is intentional; 
she once said that ``Justice doesn't happen accidentally, it takes hard 
work and strong beliefs.''
  Jean was the Chair of the Wilmette Housing Commission and effectively 
advocated for three low-income senior buildings in the village. Jean 
concentrated her volunteer efforts around open housing for more than 60 
years. Jean was also a founding board member of the North Shore 
Interfaith Council, now called Open Communities and served on its board 
for over 30 years.
  A committed and hard working citizen, Jean not only gave back to her 
community, she served as a powerful and compassionate advocate beyond 
its borders. I am honored to call her a dear friend and to be among the 
legions of people, young and old, who relied on her as a role model and 
example for living a meaningful and giving life. Her work has made this 
world a better place for countless people, and her name will live on in 
the hearts and minds of those she helped. May she Rest in Peace.

                          ____________________