HR0803 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0803 LRB097 20532 KXB 66325 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate John T. Hooker, Executive Vice President, Legislative and External Affairs of Commonwealth Edison Company, who is retiring after forty-four years of service to the company; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Hooker, who started in the ComEd mailroom in 1968, has epitomized the American spirit of hard work and steadfast dedication to create a better life for himself, his wife, Kim, his family, and his community; he has been instrumental in helping ComEd build bridges to the community it serves and to better represent the diversity of its 3.6 million customers; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Hooker has become one of the most respected policy advocates in Springfield, known by all for his honesty, integrity, ability to work with all sides of an issue, and an unending personal dedication to make Illinois a better place for all; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Hooker has been a key advocate for the reform, revitalization, and restructuring of the State's electric industry and the modernization of the State's electric infrastructure, and other important policy initiatives; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his appointment as executive vice president, he served as senior vice president of Legislative & Governmental Affairs and was responsible for managing ComEd's relationships with the Chicago City Council, the Illinois General Assembly, and other State agencies; previous to that position, he served as senior vice president of Legislative & External Affairs for ComEd; and

WHEREAS, At the same time he served as vice president, Property Management, Exelon Energy Delivery, with responsibility for facilities, real estate, and claims at both ComEd and Philadelphia-based sister company PECO Energy; and

WHEREAS, John T. Hooker is noted for his many "Hookerisms" of which one highlights his professional career, "will make it work"; and

WHEREAS, He has served in numerous ComEd departments for 44 years, holding management positions in industrial relations, marketing, governmental, and regulatory affairs; his expertise was instrumental to the passage of Illinois' Customer Choice Law of 1997; he is a founding member of the Exelon African American Members' Association (EAAMA); founded in 1990, the organization focuses on building members' individual growth opportunities within the company; and

WHEREAS, He serves on the board of directors of the Chicago State University Foundation; the Peoples Consumer Cooperative; the Safer Foundation; Junior Achievement; and The African American Legacy Initiative; he is a member of the American Association of Black in Energy, an organization devoted to increasing the number of blacks and other minorities in energy-related fields; he also is a member of Chicago State University's Business Hall of Fame committee, and is involved with the Chicago Public Schools Youth Motivation Program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate John T. Hooker on his retirement and wish him the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to John T. Hooker as a symbol of our respect and esteem.