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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Kristina A. | ||||||
4 | Valaitis on her retirement as executive director of the | ||||||
5 | Illinois Humanities Council on January 31, 2014; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Kristina Valaitis, a resident of Chicago and | ||||||
7 | alumni of Northern Illinois University, has
been an exceptional | ||||||
8 | fixture of the Illinois Humanities Council since 1979, where | ||||||
9 | she
started as an Editorial Assistant and Program Liaison for | ||||||
10 | Southern and Western Illinois; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Kristina Valaitis's skills and leadership led to | ||||||
12 | her being named Executive Director in 1993, and
since then has | ||||||
13 | dutifully spearheaded the Illinois Humanities Council's | ||||||
14 | mission to make sure the humanities continue as a vital part of | ||||||
15 | the
lives of individuals and communities in Illinois; and | ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, During Kristina Valaitis's tenure as Executive | ||||||
17 | Director, the council grew from its role as a grant-maker
to | ||||||
18 | becoming a producer of programs and initiatives that each year | ||||||
19 | engage 600,000 Illinoisans, encourage
informed exchanges about | ||||||
20 | contemporary issues and make rich experiences in the humanities
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21 | accessible to both rural and urban Illinois audiences; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Kristina Valaitis has not limited her civic | ||||||
2 | contributions to the Illinois Humanities Council; she has | ||||||
3 | served on the
boards of the Federation of State Humanities | ||||||
4 | Councils, the Chicago Metro History Education
Center, the | ||||||
5 | Illinois Center for the Book, and she was vice-chair of the | ||||||
6 | Northern Illinois University
Foundation and of the Donors | ||||||
7 | Forum; she has served on the Illinois Abraham Lincoln | ||||||
8 | Bicentennial
Commission, as corresponding editor of Federation | ||||||
9 | Review: The Journal of the State Humanities Councils, and is | ||||||
10 | also a member of The Chicago Network; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Through this involvement, Kristina Valaitis has | ||||||
12 | received numerous awards including the
Volunteer Service Award | ||||||
13 | from the Northern Illinois University Foundation, the Golden | ||||||
14 | Anniversary Alumni Award from NIU
College of Liberal Arts, and | ||||||
15 | the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award, College of Liberal Arts | ||||||
16 | and Sciences, from the NIU
Alumni Association; and
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17 | WHEREAS, The arts and humanities enhance every aspect of | ||||||
18 | life in Illinois -- they improve our
economy, enrich our civic | ||||||
19 | life, drive tourism, and exert a profound positive influence on
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20 | the education of our children; and
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21 | WHEREAS, We celebrate those who help foster opportunities | ||||||
22 | for creativity, imagination, self-expression,
and | ||||||
23 | problem-solving skills while also helping to develop a |
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1 | heightened appreciation of
beauty and cross-cultural | ||||||
2 | understanding; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Kristina Valaitis's tireless advocacy and her | ||||||
4 | dedication to the public humanities and the people of
Illinois - | ||||||
5 | - not to mention her infectious laugh and eclectic style -- | ||||||
6 | will be missed at the Illinois Humanities Council as she
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7 | marches triumphantly towards her life's next chapter; | ||||||
8 | therefore, be it
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9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
10 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
11 | we recognize Kristina A. Valaitis on her retirement as | ||||||
12 | executive director of the Illinois Humanities Council, thank | ||||||
13 | her for her many years of service to the residents of Illinois, | ||||||
14 | and wish her well in all her future endeavors; and be it | ||||||
15 | further
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16 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
17 | presented to Kristina Valaitis as an expression of our esteem | ||||||
18 | and respect.
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