ALRA -- Association of Labor Relations
Agencies
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ALRA -- Association of Labor Relations
Agencies
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IN MEMORIAM
Julie Hughes, ALRA's immediate past president,
Julie served ALRA superbly in many capacities: as the Arrangements
Our annual conference will begin on July 20 in San Diego, where we'll Julie's family has established the Julie K. Hughes Memorial Scholarship Fund. Contributions may be sent to the “Julie K. Hughes Memorial Scholarship Fund”, c/o Sue Nord, 3315 Hayes, Evanston, IL 60201; please add a notation honoring Julie's ALRA service.
Personal notes can be sent to Julie' husband, Bill, and her children, Allison,
Andrew, and Amanda at the family home: Mr.
William Pink From
the July 4th Chicago Tribune: Julie
Hughes, 51, general counsel of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board
and a leader in the national labor relations community, died of complications
from cancer Monday, July 1, in the Hospice of the North Shore. Ms. Hughes was
born in Des Moines and graduated from Drake University in 1972, where she was
editor of the yearbook. She taught high school journalism in Council Bluffs,
Iowa, while studying for her master's degree in education at night. She
received a degree and married one of her professors, William Pink. The couple
moved to Omaha, where she attended Creighton University College of Law. After
graduating in 1978, she took a position with the National Labor Relations
Board in Kansas City before transferring to the Chicago office in 1986. Three
years later, she became chief attorney at the Illinois Educational Labor
Relations Board. "When
she became general counsel, she had inherited a backlog of cases that went
back to the opening days of the agency's operations in 1984," said Gerald
Berendt, outgoing chairman of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.
"She organized us and planned out a strategy that resulted in the
clearing of our docket within one year." She was president of the
Association of Labor Relations Agencies, an organization of North American
agencies that work to prevent labor disputes, and her skills were recognized
far beyond Illinois, said Bob Anderson, a New Jersey attorney who will succeed
Ms. Hughes. She served as an adjunct professor at DePaul University College of
Law and was a 12-year board member and a president of the Evanston Township
High School Booster Club. Ms. Hughes also was the former chairman of the
Education Law Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association and was a
member of the advisory board for the annual Public Sector Labor Law
Conference. But it was her ability to connect with people that was perhaps her
most shining achievement, said her sister, Jan. "She had an extraordinary
ability to make and maintain friendships. Even during her worst days, she put
the needs of others before her own," Jan Hughes said. During her illness,
her sister said, friends and neighbors organized to bring dinners to Ms.
Hughes' home in Evanston after she started chemotherapy in November. Other
survivors include two daughters, Allison and Amanda Pink; and a son, Andrew
Pink. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Trinity United
Methodist Church, 1024 Lake Ave, Wilmette.
Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune ____________________________________________________
Remembering
Julie
Good evening. I'm Bob Anderson and I'm Julie's successor as the president
of ALRA, the Association of Labor Relations Agencies. Let me tell
you about ALRA and about how Julie led us and how we'll remember and honor
her.
ALRA is an association of impartial labor relations agencies throughout
the United States and Canada. Our
members include the National Labor
Relations Board, the National Mediation Board, the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Services in the U.S. and Canada, and a host of local, state,
and regional agencies that oversee the labor relations of every type of
employer and employee - - for example, teachers, firefighters, police officers,
airline and railroad and subway employees, agricultural workers, and
private sector employees in all walks of life.
Our agencies help resolve
labor relations disputes and improve working relationships.
ALRA is
the organization that brings all our agencies together, to rededicate ourselves
to our common purpose, to share and improve our professional skills,
and to celebrate our collegiality and close-knit community.
Julie graced
us with three characteristics that embody both ALRA and her.
The first characteristic is one of principle.
It's an unwavering respect
for the collective negotiations process, for the public interest it promotes,
and for the parties we serve. This
world desperately needs models
of negotiations and mediation and peaceful conflict resolution; our agencies
offer such models. Julie was a
person of principle and her principles
were much more deeply embedded in her than any disease ever could
be. She championed and she
personified the principle of resolving conflicts
peacefully through negotiations. The second characteristic is excellence. The top labor relations experts in
Canada and the United States come together at ALRA to share their
wisdom and improve their skills in resolving disputes.
Because we believe
our work to be so important, we insist on excellence, not just competence.
Julie was committed to excellence in all matters, the smallest as
well as the largest.
The third characteristic is graciousness.
Labor relations professionals
have to get along with all sorts of personalities and to help them
work through the most difficult tensions to find a common solution - - our
skills require an extra level of patience and friendliness beyond that needed
to navigate life's daily stresses. This
characteristic of graciousness
especially distinguishes Julie for me and all her ALRA friends whose
love for Julie has been overflowing through calls and e-mails this past
week. Julie made every person she met feel welcome and important. And
if she hadn't met you yet, she sought you out and then she embraced you.
I could call hundreds of witnesses to confirm this characteristic, but
I know that every one here tonight can already confirm it personally. By
sharing her graciousness so freely, Julie enlivened all of us.
In 10 days, we will begin our annual ALRA conference in San Diego, a special
conference indeed since we will celebrate our first 50 years and honor
all our past presidents. Julie
planned for this conference for two years,
planned to make it a true celebration of ALRA's principles, excellence,
and graciousness. She was to have
presided in person, but to our
immense sorrow that is not to be. But
she will preside in spirit and Julie's
spirit will lead us, despite our grief, to celebrate both ALRA and Julie
in grand style.
Finally, by ALRA custom, the outgoing president is given a plaque by the
incoming president at the closing banquet of each conference.
I've brought
this plaque tonight; it's on display in the hallway. It says: The
Association of Labor Relations Agencies, expressing its gratitude for a
dedicated Officer, respect for a courageous leader, and heartfelt affection for
a dear friend, hereby commends
JULIE HUGHES
General Counsel of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations
Board
On behalf of the entire membership of
ALRA, I now symbolically present
this plaque to Julie's family with our deepest admiration and love for
Julie and our deepest sympathy for you. And
with that plaque, I give also
our pledge: we will do right by Julie. We
will treasure her memory, we
will embody her graciousness, and we will keep her spirit alive and vibrant
in our work and in our celebrations this year and in the years to come.
Thank you for allowing me to express ALRA's love for Julie. |
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