HR0204 LRB096 12008 GRL 24133 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Larry A. DeGraaf on
4 the occasion of his retirement as Executive Director of the
5 Vernon Hills Park District; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf served his country with pride and
7 distinction as a Naval Reserve Officer with a specialty in
8 Cryptology, serving 28 years with three years of active duty
9 from 1965 to 1968; he earned his bachelor's degree in physical
10 education from Purdue University in 1970 and his master's
11 degree in education administration from Purdue in 1971; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf has had a long and distinguished
13 career in park and recreation management; he began his career
14 as Director of the West Lafayette (Indiana) Department of Parks
15 and Recreation, a position he served in from 1971 to 1975; he
16 then served as Director of the New Albany and Floyd County
17 (Indiana) Departments of Parks and Recreation from 1975 to
18 1978; he then took the position of Executive Director of the
19 Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department at the Great Lakes
20 Naval Training Center, serving there from 1978 to 1991; from
21 1992 to 1997, he served as the Executive Director of the
22 Golf-Maine (Illinois) Park District; he most recently served as
23 Executive Director of the Vernon Hills Park District from

 

 

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1 January of 1997 until his retirement on March 13, 2009; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf was instrumental in the development
3 and improvement of the Vernon Hills Park District during his
4 tenure as Executive Director; he initiated and supervised
5 countless improvements, such as replacing and renovating
6 existing parks, approving new parks, adding paths, expanding
7 parking, and enhancing landscaping; he also put in place many
8 policies and programs that will continue to serve park district
9 patrons in the future, such as the Five Year Parks and
10 Recreation Master Plan, upgraded computer support, online
11 registration, and the Tree and Bench Donation Programs; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Under Larry DeGraaf's direction, the Vernon Hills
13 Park District received the Government Finance Officials
14 Association Award for Comprehensive Annual Financial Reporting
15 on seven occasions and was selected as a Gold Medal Finalist
16 three times; he was instrumental in obtaining numerous grants
17 including those from the Illinois General Assembly, the
18 Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Open Space Lands
19 Acquisition, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency;
20 in the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation, he executed
21 intergovernmental agreements with the Village of Vernon Hills
22 for the transfer and use of developer impact fees and with High
23 School District 128 for the operation of the Vernon Hills
24 Athletic Complex; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, In his capacity as Executive Director at Vernon
2 Hills, Larry DeGraaf served on the Board of Directors of the
3 Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County; he also
4 served on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Parks
5 Association Risk Services, a risk pool of more than 160
6 Illinois park districts; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf is an active member and
8 Past-President of the Mundelein-Vernon Hills Rotary Club; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf and his wife, Rita, have been
10 married for 14 years; together, they have two children, Kendall
11 and Skylar; he also has two children from his first marriage,
12 Catherine and Rebecca, and three grandchildren, Tristan, Leah,
13 and Jake; therefore, be it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
16 congratulate Larry A. DeGraaf on the occasion of his retirement
17 and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it
18 further
 
19     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
20 presented to Larry DeGraaf as a symbol of our esteem and
21 respect.