SR0065 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0065 LRB103 27032 LAW 53400 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate John Duffy of Elgin on the occasion of his retirement as a member of the Elgin Community College District 509 Board of Trustees after 48 years of service; and

WHEREAS, John Duffy earned his Bachelor of Arts from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1956 and his Master of Science in Education from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska in 1961; he also completed post graduate coursework at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1967; and

WHEREAS, With more than six decades of professional experience and a commitment to education, John Duffy has served his communities as a teacher since 1957 and as a dedicated trustee since 1975; in addition to his primary role as a teacher at Larkin High School in Elgin from 1962 to 1996, he held a number of leadership positions at the school, including student council advisor from 1965 to 1971, chair of English and Foreign Languages from 1969 to 1977, and chair of English and the Reading Division from 1977 to 1996; prior to teaching at Larkin High School, he served as a teaching assistant with the University of Iowa from 1961 to 1962, a high school teacher at Clear Lake Community School District from 1958 to 1961, and a junior and senior high school teacher and coach at Presentation Academy from 1957 to 1958; and

WHEREAS, John Duffy has served on the Board of Trustees of Elgin Community College (ECC) since 1975, making him the most senior and the longest serving trustee in the college's history; during his tenure, he has held various roles and has been elected chair seven times; he has also represented ECC locally and nationally; at the state level, he has served as ECC's representative or alternate throughout his years as a trustee; in addition to numerous committee assignments, he has chaired ECC's Federal Relations Committee seven times and served on the Executive Committee nine times; and

WHEREAS, John Duffy has served ECC and community colleges at large through a number of leadership roles he held in national organizations; he was elected twice to the Board of Directors of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC); in addition, he served on the ACCT/AACC Joint Commission on Federal Relations for eight years, which he chaired in 1988 and 1989; and

WHEREAS, John Duffy has been a respected voice in his community and affiliated with a number of professional organizations, including the Illinois Association of Teachers of English, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Illinois Classical Conference, the American Classical League, the Elgin Association of School Administrators, the Elgin Teachers Association, the Illinois Education Association, and the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA); and

WHEREAS, Throughout his career, John Duffy has been recognized for his leadership, his service to his communities, and his contributions to the field of education, including receiving the Outstanding Young Educator Award from the Elgin Jaycees, being named the Kane County Distinguished Educator of the Year, being listed among the Outstanding Young Men in America, being recognized as an ACCT Outstanding Trustee for the Central Region, receiving the ACCT Central Region Trustee Leadership Award, and being honored as the 2002 ICCTA Trustee of the Year Award; his accomplishments have led to national and international recognition, and he has been featured in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education, and Who's Who in the World; and

WHEREAS, John Duffy and his wife, Anne, are the parents of four children, Jane, Paul, Sarah, and Steven; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate John Duffy on his retirement from Elgin Community College District 509 Board of Trustees after 48 years of service, recognize his status as the institution's longest serving trustee, and thank him for his decades of hard work and commitment to the college, the students, and his communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to John Duffy as an expression of our esteem and respect.