Julie Plawecki (August 27, 1961 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

who represented the

11th District 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

—which comprises the cities of Garden City and Inkster, and parts of

Dearborn Heights Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 63,292 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census., Dearborn Heights is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, and is consid ...

, Livonia and Westland—in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

after being elected in November 2014 for the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Biography

Plawecki attended Warren Public Schools and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. She received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

with a dual major in chemistry and general science, and obtained her professional teaching certificate from the

University of Michigan-Dearborn A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. Plawecki lived in Dearborn Heights with her husband,

Mark Plawecki Mark J. Plawecki (born April 25, 1961) is a district judge in the U.S. state of Michigan. His district (the 20th) comprises the city of Dearborn Heights in Wayne County, located in suburban Detroit. He was first elected to the seat in 1994, and ...

, where they raised their three daughters. A former medical technologist, Plawecki taught science, math, and religion at both the secondary and elementary school levels. Prior to her election, she worked at St. Robert Bellarmine, a Catholic school in Redford, and also coached the school’s Science Olympiad team. She was a member of the National Science Teachers Association and the Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In the 2014 Michigan House of Representatives elections, Plawecki successfully ran for the seat to represent

Michigan's 11th House of Representatives district Michigan's 11th House of Representatives district (also referred to as Michigan's 11th House district) is a legislative district within the Michigan House of Representatives located in parts of Macomb and Wayne counties. The district was creat ...

. Her eldest daughter, a 2012

graduate and 2015 Masters candidate at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, forwent a summer’s paid internship at Yale to become manager of Plawecki's campaign. Plawecki died on June 25, 2016, while hiking in Smith Rock State Park in Oregon with her daughters. She was hiking and suddenly collapsed—attempts to revive her proved unsuccessful and she was then pronounced dead. It is presumed she suffered a heart attack. Her daughter

Lauren Plawecki Lauren Plawecki (born 1994) is an American politician from Michigan who represented the 11th District—which comprises the cities of Garden City and Inkster, and parts of Dearborn Heights, Livonia and Westland—in the Michigan House of Repr ...

later won a special election to finish her term in the state legislature.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plawecki, Julie 1961 births 2016 deaths Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Women state legislators in Michigan Michigan State University alumni Oakland University alumni University of Michigan–Dearborn alumni People from Dearborn Heights, Michigan Schoolteachers from Michigan American women educators 21st-century American women