Number
220511
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
201409
Sponsor
ALD. COGGS AND STAMPER
Title
An ordinance renaming North 5th Street, from West Capitol Drive to West Walnut Street, Dr. William Finlayson Street.
Analysis
This ordinance renames North 5th Street, from West Capitol Drive to West Walnut Street, Dr. William Finlayson Street.
Body
Whereas, Dr. William Finlayson is a beloved obstetrician and gynecologist based in Milwaukee; and
Whereas, Dr. Finlayson served as 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army from 1943 through 1946 and then served in the Army Reserves from 1946 to 1953; and
Whereas, Dr. Finlayson attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he befriended civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr; and
Whereas, Dr. Finlayson received an M.D. from Meharry Medical College in 1953 and completed his residency at the University of Minnesota in 1958; and
Whereas, Dr. Finlayson was admitted as the first Black doctor at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Mount Sinai and established his own private practice where he worked for 40 years; and
Whereas, Dr. Finlayson opened Milwaukee’s first Black-owned bank, North Milwaukee State Bank, due to the number of African-Americans being denied loans from other banks; and
Whereas, Dr. Finlayson served as president of the Milwaukee Gynecological Society and his local YMCA board, is a lifetime member of the NAACP, a member of the Urban League, and also served on the Southeastern Wisconsin Health System Agency’s board of directors; and
Whereas, In April 2021, the Common Council adopted File Number 201409, which allows the regular procedure for naming or renaming public streets, buildings, and other facilities to be suspended whenever four-fifths of the Common Council members vote to name or rename a particular public street, building, or other facility; and
Whereas, The Common Council and relevant City departments welcome discussing with residents and affected business owners a workable timeline to im...
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