HR0201 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0201 LRB101 11628 MST 58094 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Herbert Wilson Nadelhoffer on the occasion of his 90th birthday on March 23, 2019; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer was born at Chicago Lying-in Hospital on March 23, 1929, the second child of Carleton and Harriet (Wilson) Nadelhoffer; he was delivered by his aunt, Dr. Luella Nadelhoffer; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer came home to the Nadelhoffer Farm at 2800 71st Street in what is now known as Woodridge, where he was greeted by his strong two-year-old brother, Carleton; his creative sister, Caroline, followed in 1934; and

WHEREAS, The Nadelhoffer Farm, a Sears Catalog Aladdin Home and a timber frame barn built by his great-grandfather John Nadelhoffer, featured many Swiss Brown dairy cows and 178-acres of corn, oats, alfalfa hay, and wheat; and

WHEREAS, The family farm was also home to work horses Black Jack and Fanny, who were good for pulling the hay mower and cultivating corn, Ginger and Maude, older horses that assisted with planting, hired hand John Zalipu, one powerful and scary bull, a steel-lugged Farmall F-12 Tractor, and a great deal of love; and

WHEREAS, The Nadelhoffer Farm was recognized as the highest producing herd of dairy cows in the State of Illinois by the Dairy Herd Improvement Association in 1939 and 1957; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer attended Avery-Coonley School, where his mother was a teacher, and Tamarack School, a one-room schoolhouse where he was one of two 3rd grade students; he also attended Oswego High School and Downers Grove High School; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer graduated from Carleton College in 1951 with a bachelor's degree in zoology and a minor in English; he went on to earn a teaching certificate from North Central College, a master's degree in theater from Northwestern University, and, ultimately, a Ph.D. in public address and group communication; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer was drafted in 1953 and served in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps, where he conducted security clearances; he was honorably discharged in 1955 and participated in an Honor Flight in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer taught classes at Naperville Community High School, 7th and 3rd grade science at O'Neil Jr. High School in Downers Grove, 5th grade at Hanahauoli School in Hawaii, 5th grade at Lester School in Downers Grove, 5th grade at Highland School in Naperville, and 5th grade at Ellsworth School in Naperville; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer is the father of two daughters, Heather, a beautiful renaissance musician, and Maile, a beautiful research economist; and

WHEREAS, After living away from the farm for a time, Herbert Nadelhoffer moved back to help take care of his father after his mother Harriet passed away in 1962; his father passed away in 1969; and

WHEREAS, The high taxation of farmland during the Quadrennial Reassessment inspired Herbert Nadelhoffer to work with Congressman Harris Fawell to secure the agricultural tax rollback which reduced property taxes for farmers caught in urban expansion; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer was a strong and informed voice during the 1959 creation of the Village of Woodridge, which incorporated the Nadelhoffer Farm among others; he was elected and served on the Woodridge School Board and worked with his friend and neighbor, architect Tom Brown, on the Rossmoor Woodridge Center project; and

WHEREAS, During the riots associated with the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Herbert Nadelhoffer invited four people to find refuge at the Nadelhoffer Farm; 200 people showed up seeking safety; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer created Frogg's Place and rented two farms at Fermilab to provide healthy outdoor activities for wards of the court residing at the Youth Home in Naperville; he coordinated volunteers, music, activities, graduate students, and donors; he also taught an Urban Gateways theater class at Sacred Heart; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer is a champion of history, storytelling, and of the public use of the Greene Farmstead; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer met the love of his life, Mary Lou Wehrli, on a racquetball court in 1980 and followed her to the east coast and London; together in 1982, they, along with family and friends, built their timber frame home at 916 W. Jefferson Avenue in downtown Naperville; it was a grand barn raising with all generations measuring, cutting, chiseling, soaping, lifting, hammering, and celebrating; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer and Mary Lou enjoyed extensive travel across the United States and to Canada, Mexico, Europe, India, Nepal, Australia, and New Zealand; during the trip to India, they visited the Wanless Hospital, the Wilson Clinic, and the Kodaikanal International School, where his grandparents, Alexander and Eugene Wilson, had worked a century before; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer rode an elephant in Nepal and was known as Maja Gunda (Barn Smell); and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer later founded Nadelhoffer Energy Works to develop land and build energy efficient homes, including solar homes, double envelope homes, and timber frame homes; and

WHEREAS, As a representative of Riverbend Timber Framing, Herbert Nadelhoffer designed and built timber frame homes and structures for 25 years; he retired in 2008; and

WHEREAS, In 1987, Herbert Nadelhoffer became a certified NCTV17 Naperville Community Television producer; while working there, he wrote, produced, directed, edited, and starred in Black Acre: a remembrance and Farmers, Corn, Cows & Hazy Memories; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer remains a friendly face at the Naperville Edward-Elmhurst Health Center; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer enjoys a variety of strenuous activities, including playing flops, 8# ball toss, the coffee grinder shoulder work out, pull ups, pushes and pulls for legs, breathing deeply, and the hot tub; he is also a master gardener, a chef extraordinaire, guitar picker, singer of folk songs, painter, sculptor, and writer; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer excels at Bananagrams, reading, and tenaciously figuring things out; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Nadelhoffer has said he considers the greatest gifts in his life to be Mary Lou and growing up on the family farm; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Herbert Wilson Nadelhoffer on his 90th birthday, and we wish him many more wonderful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Herbert Nadelhoffer as a symbol of our respect and esteem.