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WHEREAS, On December 14, 2010, President Barak Obama signed an Executive Order creating the first White House Council for Community Solutions, bringing together 25 leaders from across the country to work toward solving community issues; and
WHEREAS, North Side native William E. Strickland, Jr. was asked to serve and accepted; and
WHEREAS, Bill Strickland, cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh majoring in American History and foreign affairs, is the son of William and Evelyn Strickland, loving husband of Rose, father of Julie and Olivia Claire and grandfather of Ty and Beau and brother of Mark;
WHEREAS, Mr. Strickland, inspired by his Oliver High School art teacher, Frank Ross, redirected his life creating the impetus to change many others; and
WHEREAS, other of Mr. Strickland's inspirations have been J. T. Wright, a psychologist and Unitarian minister, K. Leroy Irvis, teacher, lawyer, poet, first African-American speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, who helped Strickland to develop Manchester Bidwell Corp., James L. Heskett, Baker Foundation professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, who helped Strickland develop the Manchester Bidwell replication model and Jeffrey Skoll, former president of eBay and movie producer; and
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh knows Mr. Strickland as a forward thinking, bright, entrepreneur who created and runs Manchester Bidwell Corporation, made up of the Manchester Craftsman's Guild, the Bidwell Training Center, MCG Jazz and MCG Youth and Arts, through grants, partnerships, innovation and the belief that, especially children, need strong mentors, educational programs and artistic expression to develop responsibility and integrity; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Strickland's drive prompted him to replicate his programs in San Francisco, Grand Rapids, Cleveland and Cincinnati, and is working on similar programs near our sister city, Karmiel, Israel, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; ...
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