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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING COMMISSIONER RICHARD R. BOYKIN
WHEREAS, Commissioner Richard R. Boykin will vacate his seat on the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Board of Commissioners on November 30, 2018 after four years of public service to the residents and visitors of Cook County as a Forest Preserve District of Cook County Commissioner; and
WHEREAS, it is the mission of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County "to acquire, restore and manage lands for the purpose of protecting and preserving public open space with its natural wonders, significant prairies, forests, wetlands, rivers, streams, and other landscapes with all of its associated wildlife, in a natural state for the education, pleasure and recreation of the public now and in the future;" and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves District of Cook County has an over one-hundred-year history, currently spans almost seventy thousand acres, shares over sixty million visits annually, and contributes immeasurably to the quality of life of residents of Cook County and scientific research and conservation, including public-private partnerships with the Brookfield Zoo and Chicago Botanic Garden; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Boykin was born in Jackson, Mississippi, raised in the Englewood community in Chicago, attended Chicago Vocational High School and later accepted an athletic scholarship to Central State University (CSU) in Ohio graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1990 with a degree in Political Science; and
WHEREAS, while at CSU, Commissioner Boykin consistently made the National Dean's List, going on to attain the President's Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. In 2015, Central State University inducted Commissioner Boykin into its Achievement Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, following graduation, Commissioner Boykin returned to Chicago, to teach in the Chicago Public School system for a year, to later obtain a legal education at the University of Dayton, School of Law; and
WHEREAS, Commiss...
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