Lorraine Morton, Evanston’s first black mayor, died Saturday at age 99.

Morton was also the city’s longest serving mayor, current Mayor Steve Hagerty said in a statement on his Facebook page announcing Morton’s death.

“Her life was a life worthwhile and our community is so fortunate to have had her nearly 100 years of wisdom, inspiration, and optimism shared with us so genuinely and generously,” Hagerty said.

Morton became mayor in 1993 and stayed in office until 2009, the same year the city renamed the civic center after her. According to a Daily article from her mayoral run in 1993, Morton was a mother and grandmother who wanted to help the city’s children. Before her time in office, Morton was an educator: she taught at the Foster School and Nichols Middle School and eventually became the principal of Haven Middle School.

“Only a life of service is a life worthwhile,” Morton said in a documentary about her life produced by the Shorefront Legacy Center.

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