Not saying thank you

Temple Emanuel, a Jewish congregation in the 48th ward, asked Alderman Marion Volini to introduce a City Council resolution honoring it on its 100th anniversary in 1980. It was a routine matter and she submitted it to the City Clerk’s office, which handled processing of resolutions.

She chose the option for a framed certificate, and requested a rush job, so the Temple would have it in time for its anniversary dinner.

She presented the resolution in person and was caught up in the emotion surrounding the honor. Many attendees at the dinner had escaped from Germany before the Holocaust. But quite a few of their friends and relatives had not and had been murdered by the Nazis.

The resolution reminded them of their tragic lives in Europe and of the horrible fate of the people close to them. Volini realized how significant an event this was to the congregants.

She dashed off a letter to Daniel Burke, the Chief Clerk, who had overseen creation of the printed document. She thanked him for the quick turnaround on her request and told him how meaningful it was to the Temple.

When Burke received the letter, he rose from his desk and walked through the corridors of City Hall in a daze. His sleeves were slightly rolled up, as if he had been working at his desk, had suddenly stood up and, without warning, left the room. He carried the letter in his hand and entered Volini’s office.

He thanked her for the letter and told her that he had done favors for every Alderman – all fifty of them – and that not one had ever thanked him.

Expressing appreciation for a job well done was not a common practice in city government. Employees were apparently expected to be thankful to have jobs at all.

 Exerpted from “An Inside Job: A Frank Recollection of 48th Ward Happenings” at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/992452