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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Ed Hightower on the
4occasion of his retirement as Superintendent of Edwardsville
5Community Unit School District 7; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Ed Hightower joined District 7 in 1996, and during
7his tenure, the district has grown from 5,000 students to over
87,000 and has developed into one of the top school districts in
9the State of Illinois, academically, athletically, and in the
10performing arts; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Ed Hightower has received numerous awards,
12including the Illinois Distinguished Principals Award in 1989,
13the Who's Who of American Educators in 1992, the Illinois
14Principal of the Year Award in 1993, the National Distinguished
15Principals Award in 1993, the Elijah P. Lovejoy Human Rights
16Award in 1990, the Illinois Jaycees 10 Outstanding Young
17Persons Award in 1990, and the Trails West Distinguished
18Citizen of the Year award in 2007; he was named to the Southern
19Illinois University Edwardsville Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, Ed Hightower has been a Division I basketball
22referee for 36 years; he has officiated in 12 NCAA Final Four

 

 

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1tournaments, represented the United States at the 1990 World
2Championship of Basketball held in South America, been selected
3as the "Neutral" basketball official for the European
4Basketball Championship held in Munich, Germany in 1993,
5represented the United States at the Goodwill Games held in St.
6Petersburg, Russia in 1994, and represented the United States
7at the Goodwill Games in New York in 1998; he was inducted into
8the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, named one of the top
9100 St. Louis area athletes of the century in 1999, inducted
10into the Illinois Basketball Association Coaches Hall of Fame
11in 1998, named National Association of Sports Officials Gold
12Whistle Award winner in 1995, awarded the Missouri Athletic
13Club Carol O. Bauer Award in 1994, and named the Naismith
14College Official of the Year in 1992; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Ed Hightower is a current Trustee on the Lewis and
16Clark Community College Board of Trustees with over 20 years of
17service; he served on the Southern Illinois University Board of
18Trustees for 12 years, facilitating SIUE's becoming a NCAA
19Division I sports program; he was also on the St. Anthony
20Hospital Board for 18 years; he is a member of the Edwardsville
21Rotary Club; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Ed Hightower has a bachelor's degree, master's
23degree, and specialist degree from Southern Illinois
24University Edwardsville; he has a doctorate in education

 

 

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1administration from St. Louis University; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
4congratulate Ed Hightower on his retirement as Superintendent
5of Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 and we wish
6him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Ed Hightower as an expression of our esteem and
9respect.