06-1074Suspension - 11/22/06
RESOLUTION
CITY OF SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA
Presented
Referred To
Council File # av �/
Green Sheet # 3034733
Committee Date
WHEREAS, on March 7, 2006, the renowned photographer and painter, and poet and author and filmmaker,
and pianist - Gordon Parks died in New York City at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, Gordon Puks, born on November 30, 1912, in Fort Scott Kansas, was the youngest of 15
children; and
WHEREAS, Gordon's mother, a staunch Methodist, was the main influence on his life, refusing to allow her
son to justify failure with the excuse that he had been born black, and instilling in him self-confidence, ambition
and a capacity for hard work; and
WHEREAS, Gardon, realized early on "that my father and his little farm would never be able to give me the
inspiration I needed for the bigger world out there. I welcomed the move to my sister's home in Saint Paul,
Minnesota;" and
WHEREAS, Gordon, at age 16, found himself homeless and did everything he could to make money, from
waiting tables to playing piano in a brothel to mopping floors; and
WHEREAS, Gordon chose to pick up a camera instead of a knife or a gun and used it as his weapon of choice
against what he hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, and poverty; and
WHEREAS, Gordon's first foray into photography came after he found a magazine left behind by a passenger
on a train. A portfolio inside the magazine, documenting the terrible living conditions of migrant workers,
inspired him to buy his first camera; and
WHEREAS, in 1941, Gordon became the first photographer to receive a fellowship from the Julius Rosenwald
Foundation; after receiving the award, it was at the Farm Security Administration that Parks took his first
professional photograph and signature image: "American Gothic," Ella Watson standing before the American
Flag hanging floor to ceiling, with a mop in one hand and a broom in the other, an image that called attention to
the plight of the needy during the depression; and
WHEREAS, Gordon moved as easily among glamorous movie stars and the politically powerful as he did
among the poorest in Brazil's slums; and
WHEREAS, Gardon chronicled both the street gangs of Harlem and the fashion salons of Paris; and
WHEREAS, Gordon, grew to be one of the LIFE magazine's most accomplished shooters, not to mention one
of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, and considered a debonair gentleman and a most gentle
man, beloved by his colleagues throughout a LIFE magazine career that began in 1948; and
WHEREAS, Gordon, also claimed by Hollywood as both an artist and a pioneer, recognized for his 1963 novel,
"The Learning Tree" a best-seller that became a movie for which he was resourced the first black director of a
Hollywood feature film; and
WfiEREAS, Gordon, when calied a Renaissance Man, wouid joke "I hauen't even leamed how to spe11
Renaissance yet;" and or � [
U/ "7
WHEREAS, Gordon, after receiving his 45` honorary doctarate at Princeton University, stated he had wished
Miss McClintock was tfiere so he could have handed it to her. Because "I didn't finish high schooi," Miss
McClintock advised black students to not go to college and spend their families' money because they were
going to "ali wind up as porters and maids regazdless of their education;" and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council does hereby recognize the
outstanding legacy of Gordon Parks; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Sainf Paul City Council does hereby declare thaf
November 30, 2006 be forever known as GORDON PAIZKS DAY in the City of Saint Paul.
Yeas Nays Absent
Benanav �j
Bostrom ,/
Harris „�
Helgen �
Lantry
Montgomery r r
Thune �,--
Adop�ed by Council:
Date /%/�a /��
� :
Adoption Certified by Council Secretary
BY� ,-. /
Form Approved by City Attorney
By:
Approved by Mayor for Submission to Councii
By:
Approved by Mayor:
Date
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� Green Sheet Green Sheet Green Sheet Green Sheef Green Sheet Green Sheet �.
co -c�
ContaM Person 8 Phone:
Councilernber Mon(yanery
2668610
NWst Be on Couneil /tqenda 6y (Date):
22-NOV-0S
Doc. Type: RESOLUTION
E-0ocumentRequired; Y
Document Contact: Renee Tyler
Contact Phone: 266E610
z, +aovae
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Assign
Number
For
Routing
Order
Green Sheet NO: 3034733
0 ouncil �
I uncil De arimeut D" tor
2 rk
3
4
5
Total # of Signature Pages _(Clip All LocaGons f S igoature)
Action Requested:
Declaring Novembei 30, 2006 "Gordon Pazks Day" in the Ciry of Saint Paul.
uiations: Apprwe (A) a Reject (R):
Planni�g Commission
CIB Cotnmittee
Civl Senice Commission
Personal Service Contracts Must Mswer the Folbwing QuesCwns:
t. Has tMs persoNfirtn eser Lwrked untler a contract for tMs departmeM?
Yes No
2. Has this personlbrm etier bcen a city employee?
Yes No
3. Does this persoNTirtn possess a skill rrot norcnally possessetl by any
curreM city employee?
Yes No
Explain all yes answere on separate sheet and attach to green sheet
InHiatingProbiem, lssues, Opportunity (Who, What, When, Where, Why}:
Atlaankaqes If Approved:
DisativanWges IfApproved;
Disadvaniages If Not Approved:
Transactfon:
Funding Source:
Financiai Information:
{Ezpiain)
No�rriber 21„ 2006 10:38 AM
CostlRevenue B�dgeted:
Activily Number.
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