093_HR0451
LRB093 12467 KEF 17653 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to congratulate Dr. John Walter "J.W."
4 Smith, Jr. on his recent retirement as the Executive Director
5 of the Chicago Public Schools Department of Sports
6 Administration after 40 years of service; and
7 WHEREAS, "J.W.", as he is affectionately and respectfully
8 known to the hundreds of students, teachers, and athletic
9 coaches that he has mentored over the years, had spent his
10 entire 40-year professional career in the Chicago Public
11 Schools; and
12 WHEREAS, A native of Chicago, Dr. Smith graduated from
13 Dunbar Vocational High School, and received a bachelor's
14 degree from Northern Illinois University, a masters in
15 Physical Education from Indiana University, and a Doctorate
16 of Philosophy in Education Administration from the University
17 of Illinois at Chicago; and
18 WHEREAS, Dr. Smith began his teaching career in the
19 Chicago Public Schools in 1963 at Harlan High School; since
20 then, he has taught at Kenwood High School, Percy L. Julian
21 High School, and prior to becoming Executive Director in the
22 Chicago Public School's Department of Sports Administration,
23 was Principal at Adam Clayton Powell Elementary School; and
24 WHEREAS, While at Percy L. Julian High School, he won
25 eight city football championships and two Prep Bowls; he has
26 been credited with changing the image of Public League
27 football; and
28 WHEREAS, During his tenure as Executive Director of the
29 Chicago Public Schools Department of Sports Administration,
30 he pushed Public League sports into the 21st Century; he
31 organized and implemented a structured sports program for
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1 elementary schools that covered 14 sports, reinstituted the
2 indoor track program, established freshman and sophomore
3 levels of competition, organized and implemented the summer
4 sports camp, and started the no-pass/no-play policy in which
5 students with a GPA of less that 2.0 must be contracted into
6 an individual study plan in order to play; in addition, he
7 realigned sports conferences with competitive levels and
8 equity, doubled the number of paid coaches available to
9 schools per sport and also brought in lacrosse, 16-inch
10 softball, golf, water polo, and double-dutch; and
11 WHEREAS, Dr. Smith's awards include the National Football
12 Foundation and Hall of Fame Distinguished American, the
13 College Academic All-American Football Team, the Chicago
14 Public League Coach of the Year (5 times), Kappa Alpha Psi
15 Fraternity Outstanding Achievement (5 times), Operation PUSH
16 Coach of the Year, Coca-Cola Man of the Year, Illinois High
17 School Association Distinguished Service, Chicago Sun-Times
18 Teacher of the Month, and the Chicago Public Schools
19 Principal of Excellence Award; and
20 WHEREAS, Dr. Smith is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi
21 Fraternity, the National Alliance of Black Public School
22 Administrators, Operation PUSH, the Chicago Urban League, and
23 the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association; and
24 WHEREAS, A retirement gala celebration honoring Dr. Smith
25 is set for August 7, 2003; therefore, be it
26 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
27 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
28 we congratulate Dr. John Walter "J.W." Smith, Jr. on his
29 retirement after 40 years of dedicated service to the Chicago
30 Public Schools; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
32 presented to Dr. John Walter "J.W." Smith, Jr. as an
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1 expression of our respect and esteem.