Street in Chicago named after Dr. Jose Rizal

Published September 15, 2011 2:45pm

Irving Park Road, a street in Chicago in the United States, was recently renamed "Dr. Jose Rizal Avenue" as part of the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of the Philippine national hero. According to a report of the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim led on September 10 the rededication rites for Dr. Jose Rizal Avenue which stretches from Block 1300W to Block 1400W. Congressman Mike Quigley representing the 5th District of Illinois and Alderman Amaya Pawar representing 47th Ward of Chicago attended the ceremony. Also present during the ceremony were Dr. Ramon Lopez and Willi Buhay, both descendants of Rizal. After the ceremony, the Filipino-American Council of Greater Chicago (FACC) held a reception at the Rizal Heritage Center. Jose Rizal JosÃ© Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda was a Filipino polymath and patriot who advocated for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. Rizal was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861. He was the seventh child in the family which had 11 children. He attended various schools:

Ateneo Municipal de Manila (earning a Bachelor of Arts);

University of Santo Tomas (medicine);

Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain (Licentiate in Medicine);

University of Paris, and

University of Heidelberg. Rizal was a polyglot who was conversant in 22 languages. He was also a poet and novelist and his two most famous works were the "Noli me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo." On December 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by the Spanish in Bagumbayan. The date of his death is remembered every year as "Rizal Day." - VVP, GMA News

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