Educator, activist Zoe Mikva, wife of Abner Mikva, dies at 90

WASHINGTON – Zoe Mikva, an educator and activist and wife of the late Abner Mikva, died on Saturday at her North Side Chicago home. She was 90 and a remarkable partner for Mikva, a liberal icon who was a lawmaker, a federal appeals court judge and a White House counsel.

Her death was announced by the Mikva Challenge, the Chicago-based organization Abner and Zoe founded to encourage youths to take part in civic life.

Mikva died at the age of 90 on July 4, 2016.

Below, a release from the Mikva Challenge:Zoe was born in St. Louis, MO in 1928. She received both her PhB and MA from the University of Chicago.

Zoe Mikva’s career in public service began with the Illinois Division of the American Civil Liberties Union. She then lobbied for the Friends Committee on National Legislation and worked on two election campaigns with the CIO Political Action Committee. When her daughters Mary, Laurie, and Rachel were youngsters, Zoe taught primary school in Washington, D.C. and in Evanston, IL. Long before the advent of computers, she brought old typewriters into her classroom to encourage her primary students to write stories.

Zoe later evaluated state highway safety programs and developed educational materials as a special assistant to the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In the early and mid-1980’s, Zoe co-owned and managed The Hill Company, which provided support services for people and organizations who were visiting Washington and wanted to affect public policy. For the next seven years, Zoe was Director of Development of The Advocacy Institute, a Washington organization that counseled public interest and grassroots lobbying groups. After returning to Chicago, she was Director of Special Projects in Education for Business and Professional People for the Public Interest.

Zoe’s energetic involvement in volunteer activities spanned four decades. It included PTA Leadership positions, the initiation of Chicago schools’ Operation Headstart, the Board of Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, the Board of the Illinois ACLU and the Board of Micah House, a shelter for previously homeless and addicted women. She was an elected representative of the District Education Council of the National Education Association and her local school board. She also tutored for the Washington Literacy Council and was involved in many federal, state, and local political campaigns.

Given Zoe and Ab’s lifetime commitment to public service, former political colleagues and staffers wanted to honor their legacy by establishing the Mikva Challenge. Zoe’s vision shaped its mission to empower students, teachers and schools to be active participants in the political process.

Ab and Zoe received the 2005 Public Humanities Award from the Illinois Humanities Council.

Zoe was married to Abner Mikva on September 19, 1948. Zoe is survived by her three daughters and their spouses – Mary (Steve), Laurie (James), and Rachel (Mark), and seven grandchildren, Rebecca Cohen, Jordan Cohen, Sarah Pfander, Samantha Pfander, Benjamin Pfander, Jacob Mikva, and Keren Mikva.