HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-07-0207City of Miami
Legislation
Resolution: R-07-0207
City Hall
3500 Pan American
Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
File Number: 07-00302a Final Action Date: 4/12/2007
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION URGING MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY TO CODESIGNATE NORTHWEST 17TH AVENUE FROM NORTHWEST
36TH STREET TO NORTHWEST 71ST STREET, MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS "M.
ATHALIE RANGE AVENUE;" FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO
INSTRUCT THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS
RESOLUTION TO THE HEREIN DESIGNATED OFFICES.
WHEREAS, Northwest 17th Avenue , Miami, Florida, is a Miami -Dade County road and the
City of Miami does not have jurisdiction over this roadway; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission is urging Miami -Dade County to codesignate Northwest 17th
Avenue from Northwest 36th Street to Northwest 71 st Street, Miami, Florida, as, "M. Athalie Range
Avenue"; and
WHEREAS, Mary Athalie Wilkinson was born in Key West, Florida on November 7, 1915 and
at the age of five the Wilkinson family moved to Miami; and
WHEREAS, she married Oscar Lee Range in 1937, and they had four children, in which
during this period the Ranges lived in the Liberty Square Housing Project; and
WHEREAS, in 1953, Oscar Range opened the Range Funeral Home in Liberty City, and upon
Oscar Range's unexpected death in 1960, Athalie Range enrolled in the New England Institute of
Anatomy and Embalming to obtain her funeral director certification so that she could operate the
family business; and
WHEREAS, The Range Funeral Homes eventually expanded to three locations, and Athalie
Range continued to work in the business the rest of her life; and
WHEREAS, in 1948 Athalie Range became President of the Parent Teacher Association
("PTA") at her children's school, Liberty City Elementary (now Charles R. Drew Elementary School)
and the school had 1200 students, and consisted of all portable classrooms, with no permanent
buildings, which had only some twelve toilets each for boys and for girls; and
WHEREAS, the only drinking fountains were outside, fed by pipes laid on top of ground, so
that the water was usually too hot to drink, and there were no trees or grassy areas on the school
grounds, and no lunch room; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Range led 125 black parents from the school to a meeting of the school
board to present their demands for improvements to the school, and after delaying the start of the
meeting for an hour, the board heard her speak; and
WHEREAS, much to her surprise, the board agreed to make improvements, and Athalie
City of Miami
Page 1 of 2 File Id: 07-00302a (Version: 1) Printed On: 3/23/2017
File Number: 07-00302a Enactment Number: R-07-0207
Range continued to serve as President of the school and County -wide PTA's for sixteen years; and
WHEREAS, in 1966, Athalie Range became the first African -American woman to serve on the
Miami City Commission; and
WHEREAS, in 1967 and again in 1969, Athalie Range was re-elected to the Miami City
Commission, and during her tenure, she tackled issues related to improving garbage collection in
black neighborhoods, gun control, banning of heaters, and hiring of the first African -American police
officer assigned to motorcycle patrol; and
WHEREAS, in 1971, Florida Governor Rubin Askew appointed Athalie Range as Secretary of
the Department of Community Affairs, and she became the first African -American since
Reconstruction and the first woman to head a state agency in Florida; and
WHEREAS, in 1989, Athalie Range was once again appointed to fill a vacancy on the Miami
City Commission, and she was inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 1997 and
WHEREAS, on November 14, 2006, M. Athalie Range passed away at the tender age of 91;
and
WHEREAS, the Miami City Commission would like to honor M. Athalie Range with this
codesignation for her good works, leadership and inspiration;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI,
FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are adopted
by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. The Miami City Commission urges Miami -Dade County to codesignate Northwest
17th Avenue from Northwest 36th Street to Northwest 71 st Street, Miami, Florida, as "M. Athalie
Range Avenue."
Section 3. The City Manager is directed to instruct the Director of Public Works to transmit a
copy of this Resolution to Miami -Dade County.
Section 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and signature
of the Mayor.{1}
Footnotes:
{1} If the Mayor does not sign this Resolution, it shall become effective at the end of ten calendar
days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Resolution, it shall become
effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission.
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