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A resolution honoring the life of Charles Sumner.
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WHEREAS, Charles Hanson Sumner was born in Schenectady, New York on June 30, 1928, and raised in Albany, NY. He served in the Air Force from 1946 to 1949, before returning to his studies and earning an English Degree from Cornell University; and
WHEREAS, at Cornell, he became interested in church and state issues. Accordingly, he became a lifelong member and served for many years as an officer of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU). He established new chapters in Saginaw, MI, Rochester, NY, Nashville, TN, and revived the Detroit Chapter; and
WHEREAS, he served on AU's National Advisory Council, National Leadership Council, and Speakers Bureau and was also the Nashville Chapter's president emeritus; and
WHEREAS, he was an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and served as the chair of the Interfaith Impact for sixty Presbyterian churches and other progressive denominations in Rochester, NY. He was also the co-chair of the Monroe Coalition for Democracy and a member of the Citizens for Public Education and Religious Liberty; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, Sumner and his wife Marjorie moved to Nashville to be near their daughters. Charles became a vibrant force in the Greater Nashville Unitarian Universalist Congregation, the Nashville Peace and Justice Center, the Nashville L-Club, and was instrumental in founding Pastors for Tennessee Children. He was a longtime member of the ACLU, a tireless legislative advocate, a dedicated environmentalist, a stalwart for civil rights, a champion of LGBTQ+ and women's rights, among other issues; and
WHEREAS, Sumner spent his time defending the U.S. Constitution, and advocating for justice, inclusion, democracy, and liberal causes. His distinctions include the Americans United Guardian of Liberty Award, the Eric Steel Award, Who's Who in the East, and the Tennessee Alliance for Progress Lifetime Achievement Long Haul Award; and
WHEREAS, though his...
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