Rest in Power
“We are fighting for ourselves—and whether the young people know it or not, we are fighting so that when they get to be 65 they don’t have to be on a three or four or five year waiting list for affordable housing. We’re tired. And if you ask other seniors they will all tell you that they are tired, but they can’t stop.”
-Marsha Cole
Marsha Cole, 1954-2021
Marsha was an inspiring leader and fighter for justice. She became involved in Jane Addams Senior Caucus/Jane Addams Seniors In Action by joining JASIA to elect Maria Hadden to Alderman in the 49th Ward. Since that moment she has been a force within the organization, serving on both boards and on the housing committee. Marsha was instrumental in passing the Senior Safety Ordinance and an active leader on the campaign for a national Homes Guarantee.
Marsha was fearless. During an action that JASC leaders planned on the American Medical Association, Marsha famously grabbed the microphone. She took the mic from the speaker who was leading a session for thousands of doctors and began telling the story of how high medical bills had impacted her and her family and why we need Medicare For All. Marsha was never afraid to speak the truth and had a clear vision of seniors aging with dignity. She regularly told everyone that she would be fighting until her dying days, which she did.
You can read more about Marsha in this piece in Jewish Currents, her memorial page set up by her family, and on our tribute page.
Alfred Klinger, 1926-2021
Dr. Alfred Klinger was born on May 19, 1926 to Hungarian immigrant parents Joseph Klinger and Julia (Abraham) Klinger, and grew up on the west side of Chicago. At 17 he served in WWII, receiving the Purple Heart. He earned an MD from UI, Chicago in 1956, interned at Cook County, residency at Westside VA and Mt. Sinai where he met his wife, Catherine (Holmes) a traveling nurse from northern England, married in 1957 in Hyde Park/Kenwood.
Alfred started nutrition and free breakfast programs in CPS in the '60s, jogged, swam in Lake Michigan, bike toured the US with nephew Jerry, photographed, wrote-a finalist in the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Slam, was an activist for racial and social justice: Freedom Marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in Mississippi, served as a Medic at the 1968 Democratic Convention.
In the 1970's Al and Dr. Sid Bild created the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Health Center. Al protested at the School of the Americas in Georgia, in a rocking chair in Daley Plaza for Senior Rights. He was an active member of Jane Addams Senior Caucus until 2019 when he moved to Seattle after a stroke.
You can read more about Alfred in the Hyde Park Herald and the South Side Weekly, as well as listen to an interview with him on WGN about the 2017 March to Springfield.
“You can take a deep breath. I know I can be overwhelming at times, but I have to say a few things.”
-Al Klinger, at his 90th birthday party
Stephanie Hayes, 1951-2018
Stephanie Hayes was a JASC Board Member who was active on the JASC Housing Committee as well as the president of Caroline Hedger CHA Apartments. Stephanie fiercely organized in her building to ensure that seniors had heat in the middle of winter, to stop a land grab by Target Corporation, and to ensure that seniors' lives were put over profit during a dangerous renovation at her building. She eventually worked with Frank Hill and other JASC members to form the committee to write the Relocation Plan Ordinance which was passed in January 2019 in the Chicago City Council.
When speaking about the unsafe conditions in her building during a public meeting in 2016 organized by JASC Leaders Stephanie shared this testimony:
“These renovations made seniors sick. My building is old and was full of asbestos. Many residents including myself have become ill. I have an upper respiratory infection due to environmental reasons. I am using 5 inhalers, steroids, antibiotics and a nebulizer just to be able to breathe.
Our renovation is supposedly done, yet we regularly only have 1 working elevators. This money went to politically connected developers to line their pockets rather than to make our lives better. This is not ok and I will fight until the end for better treatment for seniors in Chicago.”
To read more about Stephanie, please see this beautiful piece written by JASC member Linda Armitage in the People’s Tribune.
“Stephanie stood by so many of us at the Caucus during our fight for affordable housing, even when she was sick. On her anniversary, I rededicate my fight for affordable housing to her.”
-Board Member Debra Miller
Frank Hill, 1950-2020
Frank W. Hill, 70, passed away March 25, 2020 of heart failure. Frank Hill was born in Brooklyn, NY. He was raised in Chicago and later moved to Kansas City, MO where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts of Sculpting from the John Herron School of Arts.
Upon returning to Chicago he became a staunch advocate for Senior Housing Rights. He held a position on the Board of Directors with Jane Adams Senior Caucus and was a long time member of the Justice Team. He was also a long time activist for LGBT rights.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, memorials for Frank were postponed. Pandemic restrictions around gatherings led JASC to host the first Caucus Healing Circle on Zoom. The Circle provided leaders with a virtual space to share memories, comfort, and strength. The Caucus continues to host a monthly Healing Circle.
Click here for more information on Caucus Healing Circles.
“The Senior Housing Ordinance would make sure that building owners [take] into account the individual needs of residents and the struggles that come with aging. There would be oversight and consequences if residents aren’t treated safely. We should not have to pay the highest price, our lives, so that developers, can keep cutting corners when it comes to keeping seniors safe in senior buildings.”
-Frank Hill