HONORING THE LEGACY OF MRS. BONNA "B" TERSCH

On 2024-12-10, Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-5) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LEGACY OF MRS. BONNA "B" TERSCH" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered infrastructure.

HONORING THE LEGACY OF MRS. BONNA "B" TERSCH

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E1250-E1251] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LEGACY OF MRS. BONNA ``B'' TERSCH ______ HON. MIKE QUIGLEY of illinois in the house of representatives Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our dear late neighbor Mrs. Bonna Jo Tersch, and her lifetime of devotion to the Fifth District of Illinois' Ravenswood community. Bonna, or ``B'', was a native of small-town Missouri who found her passion living along the Chicago River with her husband and sons, planting gardens for all to enjoy, and promoting peace and beauty in our world. B co-founded the Greater Rockwell Organization in 1979 and served as its first Secretary--a role she carried for 44 years. B started and managed Greater Rockwell Organization's popular annual neighborhood- wide yard sales, worked with fellow volunteers to report criminal activity, and rose at dawn to paint over graffiti. This nonprofit civic group was recently voted Best Block Club by the Chicago Reader. B also partnered with the Chicago Transit Authority to modernize, decorate, and clean the Rockwell El station, the cornerstone of a small business hub that she helped make more vibrant than ever. She secured grants, including awards to establish over a dozen ``corner gardens'' that add distinctive natural charm around the neighborhood, and to create the Montrose Metra Community Gardens. Although B preferred to humbly volunteer behind the scenes, her decades of public service were recognized by groups like the Ravenswood Community Council and Greening of Ravenswood. Mr. Speaker, please join me and all of our colleagues in the House of Representatives in [[Page E1251]] recognizing Mrs. Bonna Jo Tersch for her years of service to the City of Chicago, and her legacy of ``leaving things better than you found them.'' ____________________