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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Kevin J. Bell on
4 the occasion of being named to serve as Chair of the Board of
5 Directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Kevin Bell is a New York native who was literally
7 raised on the grounds of the world-famous Bronx Zoo; his
8 family's house was located behind the reptile house, where they
9 lived while his father served as the zoo's curator of birds;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Being raised in a culture of deep commitment to
12 wildlife, Kevin Bell has devoted his entire life to
13 conservation; in 1976, at the age of 23, he was hired to serve
14 as Lincoln Park Zoo's curator of birds, making him the youngest
15 curator in the zoo's history; in 1993, he was selected to serve
16 as the zoo's director; and
 
17     WHEREAS, At Lincoln Park Zoo, Kevin Bell was instrumental
18 in leading the zoo's $125 million capital campaign, which
19 created new, state-of-the-art, award-winning animal habitats
20 and developed an endowment to secure the zoo for future
21 generations; during his tenure, he has overseen the creation of
22 one of the leading zoo-based conservation and science programs

 

 

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1 in the country, with ongoing conservation efforts locally and
2 around the world; his most recent undertaking, "Nature
3 Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo", is slated to open in the spring
4 of 2010; the Nature Boardwalk is a $12 million ecological pond
5 restoration effort designed to create a natural ecosystem in
6 the middle of a city where people can immerse themselves in
7 nature; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Kevin Bell currently serves as President and CEO
9 of Lincoln Park Zoo and is an active leader within the AZA
10 community; his fellow zoo directors, conservationists,
11 scientists, and other AZA professional members first voted for
12 him to serve on the AZA Board of Directors in 1999; he was then
13 elected to the position of Chair by the AZA membership, which
14 is comprised of 6,000 members representing 217 accredited zoos
15 and aquariums; as Chair, he will lead the 13-member Board of
16 Directors for one year and will be involved in every aspect of
17 the national organization, including strategic planning,
18 accreditation, ethics, animal welfare, and conservation; and
 
19     WHEREAS, The AZA's many accredited zoos and aquariums will
20 undoubtedly benefit from Kevin's extensive experience and
21 strong leadership; therefore, be it
 
22     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
23 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we

 

 

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1 congratulate Kevin J. Bell on the occasion of being named to
2 serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of
3 Zoos and Aquariums and wish him continued success and happiness
4 in the future; and be it further
 
5     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6 presented to Kevin Bell as a symbol of our esteem and respect.