HR1648 LRB095 23149 GRL 53788 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Larry Fischer of
4 Quincy on the occasion of his retirement as Vice President for
5 Instruction at John Wood Community College on December 31,
6 2008; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Larry Fischer earned his master's degree in
8 education from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign and
9 his bachelor's degree in agriculture education from Southern
10 Illinois University Carbondale; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Larry Fischer began his long and distinguished
12 career with John Wood Community College as an instructor of an
13 evening agriculture marketing class in the fall of 1975, when
14 JWCC first opened its doors to students; in August of 1976, he
15 was appointed to the full-time position of Director of
16 Agricultural Programs and was charged with creating an
17 agriculture department for the college; he served in that
18 capacity for 26 years before becoming Vice President for
19 Instruction in 2002, where he remained until his retirement;
20 and
 
21     WHEREAS, John Wood Community College's agriculture program
22 grew under Larry Fischer's leadership, moving to a separate

 

 

HR1648 - 2 - LRB095 23149 GRL 53788 r

1 site near Perry; the program also developed a unique
2 cooperative agreement with the University of Illinois and was
3 expanded so that it currently offers degrees and certificates
4 in agricultural business, agriculture transfer, animal
5 science, and horticulture; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Thanks to Larry Fischer's hard work, John Wood
7 Community College's agriculture students have won numerous
8 awards at State and national competitions and have graduated
9 and moved into a variety of positions as community leaders and
10 successful members of the agribusiness community; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Prior to joining John Wood Community College,
12 Larry Fischer taught agriculture and biology at East Pike High
13 School in Milton for six years and taught algebra in the
14 Hannibal, Missouri public schools for a year; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In 2006, Larry Fischer was the recipient of the
16 Outstanding Alumnus award from SIUC's College of Agricultural
17 Sciences in recognition of his exemplary service and leadership
18 to Illinois agriculture and for his many contributions to the
19 College of Agricultural Sciences; in 2007, he was the recipient
20 of the Award of Merit from the UIUC's College of ACES
21 (Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) Alumni
22 Association, an award presented to ACES College graduates who
23 have made significant contributions to their chosen

 

 

HR1648 - 3 - LRB095 23149 GRL 53788 r

1 professions, the university, and their communities; the
2 University of Illinois Alumni Association presented Mr.
3 Fischer with the Loyalty Award in 1998 and the Lou Liay Alumni
4 Spirit Award in 2001; in 1982, he was identified as the
5 Outstanding Teacher of Agriculture in Illinois by the National
6 Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Larry Fischer has been an active volunteer and
8 leader in a variety of groups on the local and State level; he
9 has served as president of numerous organizations, including
10 the Illinois 4-H Foundation, the Illinois Association of
11 Community College Agriculture Instructors, the UI College of
12 Agriculture and College of ACES Alumni associations, and SIUC's
13 College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Association; he has
14 also served on the board of directors of Chaddock School and on
15 the board of trustees for his church and has served as the
16 speaker at numerous local, State, and national meetings and
17 conferences; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Larry Fischer and his wife, Tammy Fischer, have
19 three adult sons and five grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
22 congratulate Larry Fischer on the occasion of his retirement
23 and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it

 

 

HR1648 - 4 - LRB095 23149 GRL 53788 r

1 further
 
2     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3 presented to Larry Fischer as a symbol of our esteem and
4 respect.