Evanston Post Office Will Be Renamed for Abner Mikva

EVANSTON, IL - The United States House of Representatives has voted to rename the Evanston Post Office on Davis Street in honor of Abner Mikva.

Mikva, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was White House Counsel for President Bill Clinton, died earlier this year after a lifetime of accomplishments that included several years as a judge, lawmaker and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. He was called one of President Barack Obama’s strongest mentors.

Mikva moved to Evanston from Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood in 1971 after a redistricting measure and taught law at Northwestern University. Now the facility at 1101 Davis Street will be known as the Abner J. Mikva Post Office.

“I am so thrilled that we are going to pay an appropriate tribute to the life and legacy of Abner Mikva,” said U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 9th District-Illinois. “Ab was one of the few Americans to hold the distinction of serving in all three branches of the federal government.”

Also on Patch: Abner Mikva, Revered Evanston Politician, Dies

Schakowsky, who calls Evanston her hometown, said that when Mikva died, “America lost a great patriot, and I also lost a very precious friend and mentor.”

“Abner Mikva remains a revered fighter in Illinois and a favorite son of Evanston, remembered for his enduring wit, humanity and the ongoing legacy of the Mikva Challenge,” she said in her remarks to Congress Thursday night.

Mikva’s legacy continues locally with the Mikva Challenge, a program that involves more than 7,000 Chicagoland high school students participating in various programs. He earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 from Obama.

Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl called Mikva “a great man.”

“His name should be on our post office and now it will,” she said.

Mary Mikva, Abner’s daughter, said the Post Office renaming honor combines three things her dad loved.

“Congress, Evanston and getting and sending letters.”

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