HR0457 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0457 LRB102 20096 MST 28946 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Bonnie Noble of Peoria, who passed away on September 9, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Bonnie Noble was born to Robert and Laura West in River Forest on August 11, 1941; she attended Oak Park River Forest High School; she graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Park Administration; she married the love of her life, Kent Noble, in River Forest on April 25, 1964; in 1968, she and her husband moved to Peoria and had three daughters, Cindy, Kristen, and Jamie; and

WHEREAS, In 1973, Bonnie Noble was the first woman elected as a trustee of the Peoria Park District; over the next 43 years, she would continue to preside in a leadership capacity for the park district; she served 19 years as a trustee and board president and 24 years as the executive director; during her tenure as executive director, the Peoria Park District received the 1994, 2001, and 2010 National Gold Medal Awards for excellence in park and recreation management and accreditation as one of the first Illinois Distinguished Park Districts; in 2004, she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy for Parks and Recreation, a national group limited to 125 practicing professionals; and

WHEREAS, Bonnie Noble's major accomplishments as executive director were partnering with OSF Saint Francis Medical Center to build the downtown RiverPlex Recreation and Wellness Center, the development and completion of the Rock Island Trail in 2013, including the Knoxville Avenue bridge, leading efforts to establish the Peoria Playhouse Children's Museum, and tripling the size of the Peoria Zoo by leading a capital campaign in 2009; the Peoria Park District Board of Trustees honored her "total commitment and dedication to the citizens and employees of the Peoria Park District" by naming their new administration offices the Bonnie W. Noble Center for Park District Administration in 2013; and

WHEREAS, After her retirement in April of 2016, Bonnie Noble received the Joseph Bannon Practitioner Award, the Jaycees Good Government Award, the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Athena Award, and the Ray A. Neumann Tri-County Citizen of the Year Award, among others; she was also the recipient of the Charles K. Brightbill Distinguished Alumni Award, awarded annually by the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Bonnie Noble's greatest accomplishment was the positive impact the Peoria Park District has had on hundreds of thousands of people, the people she worked with every day and the families and individuals that have enjoyed the beautiful parks, golf courses, and facilities throughout Peoria; and

WHEREAS, Bonnie Noble is survived by her husband of 57 years, Kent Noble; their daughters, Cindy (Shannon) Noble, Kristen (Darin) LaHood, and Jamie (Dan) Hogan; her five cherished grandsons, McKay, Lucas, and Theodore LaHood and Maxwell and Thatcher Hogan; and her brother, Robert C. (David) West; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Bonnie Noble and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Bonnie Noble as an expression of our deepest sympathy and in gratitude for her service to her county and community.