WHEREAS, we sadly announce the passing on Feb. 23, 2019 of Ray Frankel, who was one of the founders of the United Federation of Teachers; and

WHEREAS, Ray was a member of the Teachers Guild, one of the predecessors of the UFT, who began distributing its newspaper from Day 1 to, as she said, “challenge the prevailing culture that said unions and teachers didn’t mix”; and

WHEREAS, Ray was one of five teachers from PS 165 in Manhattan to participate in the pivotal 1960 teachers’ strike, which heralded the formation of the UFT; and

WHEREAS, Ray never had a question about which side of history she would be on because as the daughter of lifelong ILGWU activists, “In my milieu you were either planning a strike, on strike or reminiscing about one”; and

WHEREAS, Ray brought her dedication and commitment with her when she began teaching at Manhattan’s HS of Art and Design, tenaciously recruiting new members to help the union grow; and

WHEREAS, Ray became a formidable force at the UFT, ensuring fairness and democracy in her longtime role as chair of the union’s election committee;

WHEREAS, Ray was a member of the union’s Executive Board until 2013 and continued, until shortly before her death, to oversee interim functional chapter elections in her later role of UFT election coordinator; and

WHEREAS, Ray was among the first 50 UFT luminaries listed on the union’s Wall of Honor at UFT headquarters, which was unveiled on Dec. 6, 2010; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that today we honor Ray Frankel’s work and memory by vowing to continue to keep strong and vital the union that she helped create.