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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Ronald H. Dodd on
4 the occasion of his retirement after over 40 years in the parks
5 and recreation field; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has served as the Executive Director for
7 the Joliet Park District since 1988, where his responsibilities
8 include reporting to the Board of Commissioners; management of
9 revenue-based facilities, regional airport, conservatory,
10 neighborhood and regional parks; and a comprehensive
11 recreation activity delivery system; he assisted with the
12 formation of the Joliet Alliance for Youth which brought 35
13 youth service organizations together to coordinate year-round
14 youth program schedules and a summer lunch program; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has served as the Deputy General
16 Superintendent at the Chicago Park District, where he was
17 responsible for establishing a decentralized service delivery
18 format and the initiation of citizen advisory councils at 150
19 recreation centers; he assisted in the success of one of the
20 first plastic recycling programs implemented by a municipal
21 agency; and
 
22     WHEREAS, During his tenure in the parks and recreation
23 field, Mr. Dodd's organizations have been recognized; in 1993,
24 the Joliet Park District was the National Gold Medal Award
25 winner, and while serving as the Assistant Director of Parks
26 and Recreation for the City of Dallas, the organization was the
27 winner of the 1985 Gold Medal Award; he also received two
28 Innovative Project awards from the City of Dallas; and
 
29     WHEREAS, In 1970, Mr. Dodd was serving as the
30 Superintendent of Recreation for the Arlington Heights Park
31 District, when he and colleagues from six other park districts

 

 

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1 formed the Northwest Special Recreation Association, which had
2 the responsibility of providing leisure services to the
3 disabled population; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd received a Bachelor of Arts degree from
5 Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and a Master of Science degree
6 in Park and Recreation Management from the University of
7 Illinois at Champaign; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has been active in several professional
9 organiations, and has served as president, chairman, or as a
10 member of the Board of Directors for many of them, including
11 the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the
12 American Park and Recreation Society, the Great Lakes Regional
13 Council, the NRPA Council of State Presidents, the American
14 Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, the
15 At-Risk-Youth Colloquium and Forum on Contemporary Issues, the
16 Illinois Park and Recreation Association, the James Foundation
17 National Symposium series, and the Illinois-Michigan Canal
18 National Heritage Corridor Commission; he has served on several
19 Council on Accreditation University visitation teams; he
20 served as chairman of the Board of Regents for the nationally
21 recognized Revenue Sources Management School, Sports
22 Management School, and the National Institute of Golf
23 Management held at Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has written many articles and researched
25 monographs for various recreation publications and has been
26 invited to lecture at universities and professional training
27 institutes; his studies and leadership have taken him to
28 England, Japan, China, and Korea; and
 
29     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd is the recipient of the prestigious
30 Charles K. Brighbill Award and Joseph J. Bannon Practitioner
31 Award from the University of Illinois; the National Park
32 Foundation awarded him the Cornelius A. Pugsley Medal for

 

 

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1 outstanding contributions to local parks, recreation, and
2 conservation; the Illinois Park and Recreation Association
3 elected him to a lifetime membership and selected him for the
4 Robert Artz Award for his commitment to establishing citizen
5 advisory councils; he received the NRPA's highest honor, the
6 Distinguished Professional Award, Luther College awarded him
7 the Distinguished Alumni Award, and the University of Northern
8 Iowa selected him for the E.J. McElroy Scholar Award; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has been an adjunct faculty member at the
10 University of St. Francis in Joliet for the past 12 years;
11 therefore, be it
 
12     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14 congratulate Ronald H. Dodd on the occasion of his retirement
15 after over 40 years in the parks and recreation field; and be
16 it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to Ronald H. Dodd as an expression of our respect and
19 esteem for his many contributions to the parks and recreation
20 field and with best wishes for a relaxing retirement.