HR1160 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1160 LRB093 23185 HSS 53155 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Ronald H. Dodd on the occasion of his retirement after over 40 years in the parks and recreation field; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has served as the Executive Director for the Joliet Park District since 1988, where his responsibilities include reporting to the Board of Commissioners; management of revenue-based facilities, regional airport, conservatory, neighborhood and regional parks; and a comprehensive recreation activity delivery system; he assisted with the formation of the Joliet Alliance for Youth which brought 35 youth service organizations together to coordinate year-round youth program schedules and a summer lunch program; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has served as the Deputy General Superintendent at the Chicago Park District, where he was responsible for establishing a decentralized service delivery format and the initiation of citizen advisory councils at 150 recreation centers; he assisted in the success of one of the first plastic recycling programs implemented by a municipal agency; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure in the parks and recreation field, Mr. Dodd's organizations have been recognized; in 1993, the Joliet Park District was the National Gold Medal Award winner, and while serving as the Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Dallas, the organization was the winner of the 1985 Gold Medal Award; he also received two Innovative Project awards from the City of Dallas; and

WHEREAS, In 1970, Mr. Dodd was serving as the Superintendent of Recreation for the Arlington Heights Park District, when he and colleagues from six other park districts formed the Northwest Special Recreation Association, which had the responsibility of providing leisure services to the disabled population; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and a Master of Science degree in Park and Recreation Management from the University of Illinois at Champaign; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has been active in several professional organiations, and has served as president, chairman, or as a member of the Board of Directors for many of them, including the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the American Park and Recreation Society, the Great Lakes Regional Council, the NRPA Council of State Presidents, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, the At-Risk-Youth Colloquium and Forum on Contemporary Issues, the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, the James Foundation National Symposium series, and the Illinois-Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission; he has served on several Council on Accreditation University visitation teams; he served as chairman of the Board of Regents for the nationally recognized Revenue Sources Management School, Sports Management School, and the National Institute of Golf Management held at Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has written many articles and researched monographs for various recreation publications and has been invited to lecture at universities and professional training institutes; his studies and leadership have taken him to England, Japan, China, and Korea; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd is the recipient of the prestigious Charles K. Brighbill Award and Joseph J. Bannon Practitioner Award from the University of Illinois; the National Park Foundation awarded him the Cornelius A. Pugsley Medal for outstanding contributions to local parks, recreation, and conservation; the Illinois Park and Recreation Association elected him to a lifetime membership and selected him for the Robert Artz Award for his commitment to establishing citizen advisory councils; he received the NRPA's highest honor, the Distinguished Professional Award, Luther College awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award, and the University of Northern Iowa selected him for the E.J. McElroy Scholar Award; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dodd has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Francis in Joliet for the past 12 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ronald H. Dodd on the occasion of his retirement after over 40 years in the parks and recreation field; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ronald H. Dodd as an expression of our respect and esteem for his many contributions to the parks and recreation field and with best wishes for a relaxing retirement.