Assembly Resolution No. 118

BY: M. of A. Fahy

COMMENDING Rezsin Adams upon the occasion of being
named a 2017 Woman of Distinction

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those women of achievement within the Empire State who
have made strong contributions to their communities and who inspire
others through their model citizenship; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend Rezsin Adams upon the occasion of being named a 2017 Woman of
Distinction; and

WHEREAS, Women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made
invaluable contributions to the growth and strength of New York State in
countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and

WHEREAS, Each year, the State of New York officially sets aside time
to recognize the achievements and lives of these exemplary women,
representatives of the wide-ranging and vital roles women have played in
the historic development of this great Empire State and its communities;
and

WHEREAS, Known as the "Grande dame of the local peace and
environmental movements," Rezsin Adams has been the heart of Albany's
peace and justice movement since she moved there in 1958; and

WHEREAS, For numerous decades, Rezsin Adams has been an outspoken
advocate for many causes including the environment, civil rights, and
the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, Born in the Bronx, Rezsin Adams was a headstrong girl who
often wandered through the streets of New York City looking for new and
exciting adventures; as a teenager, she met other young liberals in a
loft in Greenwich Village and talked about how they would change the
world; and

WHEREAS, After high school, Rezsin Adams majored in biology at the
University of Rochester in the late 1940s; while a student, she worked
at the Marine Biology Laboratory at Woods Hole, where she studied with a
young teacher named Rachel Carson, who published Silent Spring, an
influential book on environmentalism; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in the early 1960s, Rezsin Adams has protested
the Vietnam War, and every war since, was jailed for civil disobedience
while protesting the Persian Gulf War, worked for civil rights, fought
with the anti-nuclear movement, advocated on behalf of striking farm
workers, helped protect a unique ecosystem by being one of the forces
behind the creation of the Pine Bush Preserve, and has for years fought
the City of Albany in a largely successful attempt to keep the city from
building a dump in the endangered Karner Blue butterfly's habitat; and

WHEREAS, Interested in increasing public awareness of, and
appreciation for, the natural resources of New York, Rezsin Adams
founded Save the Pine Bush; this vital organization's efforts resulted
in the creation of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Management Commission,
and the preservation of a couple of thousand acres of Pine Bush; and

WHEREAS, As President of Save the Pine Bush, Rezsin Adams has been
instrumental in raising awareness and garnering interest from the
community; through their advocacy and education efforts, students and
the public come to study and explore this unique ecosystem; and

WHEREAS, With her throughout have been her husband, Ted Adams, and
their two children, all of whom have felt privileged to be a part of her
life and rejoice in her achievements; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes that New York State is the
home of countless women who are strong and colorful threads, vital to
the fabric of our rich heritage, who have contributed, and continue to
add to the advancement of our culture through their traditional and
non-traditional roles in society; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Rezsin Adams upon the occasion of being named a 2017 Woman of
Distinction; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Rezsin Adams.