Honoring Al Whitlow

This year's Paul J. Alinsky Excellence Award will be presented posthumously to Councilman Al Whitlow, who passed away on November 19, 2017.

After his death, Al was described by The News-Dispatch as being “the epitome of a public servant.” He began working as an educator for Michigan City Area Schools in 1961. Over the next 30 years he served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and coach – including as the assistant for the state champion 1966 Red Devils basketball team.

He later spent 13 years working as executive director for the Boys & Girls Club of Michigan City. When he retired in 2014, Al successfully ran for an at-large seat on the Michigan City Common Council, serving until his death.

Al was also named Humanitarian of the Year by the Human Rights Commission in 2006.

His obituary states, “Allan was an invaluable presence to Michigan City, and his dedication, perseverance, passion, kindness and unpretentious attitude to everyone he encountered during his life will be missed by an endless amount of people.”

The Paul J. Alinsky Excellence Award is presented in honor of Paul Alinksy who was a past Chamber Chairman of the Board, Rotary Club President, and founder of Sentinel Alarm Company.  Paul passed away in 1997 and this award was created to keep his memory alive. The award is given annually to a person from the Michigan City community who exhibits dedication to community service and excellence, passion and innovation in their vocation/career.  These are the areas where Paul excelled. ​

​