093_HR0101 LRB093 11174 HSS 12130 r 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, Donald J. Payton has served as a legislative 3 liaison to the Illinois General Assembly for more than 4 twenty-four years; and 5 WHEREAS, During these years he represented four state 6 agencies: the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs 7 (January 1979 - May 1984), the Department of Public Health 8 (May 1984 - February 1991), the Department of Alcoholism and 9 Substance Abuse (February 1991 - January 1995) and the 10 Illinois State Board of Education (1995 - 2003); and 11 WHEREAS, Don Payton brought to each of these positions 12 his strong analytic and communication skills, an in-depth 13 knowledge of many subjects, political understanding, the 14 ability to think creatively, and a talent for working with 15 individuals and groups with disparate views to find a 16 reasonable solution; and 17 WHEREAS, These characteristics made him an articulate and 18 effective representative for the agencies he represented and 19 a respected, invaluable resource for the members of the 20 General Assembly; and 21 WHEREAS, Despite his tireless work schedule, Don Payton 22 was a role model as the devoted father of five children, a 23 rabid St. Louis Cardinal fan, an advocate for special 24 education and the 2002 Outstanding Student in Political 25 Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield; and 26 WHEREAS, Donald Payton is now leaving government service 27 in Illinois to serve a Florida community college as Senior 28 Legislative Liaison, as well as teach, sharing his insights 29 into policymaking with the next generation of political 30 science students; therefore, be it 31 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE -2- LRB093 11174 HSS 12130 r 1 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 2 we do hereby congratulate Donald J. Payton for his many years 3 of outstanding service to the State of Illinois; and be it 4 further 5 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 6 presented to Don Payton as a token of our respect and esteem 7 and with our best wishes for his future endeavors.