HR0720 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0720 LRB094 15064 DRJ 50211 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Mary Kay Morrissey on the occasion of her retirement from the position of Village Manager for the Village of Niles; and

WHEREAS, After growing up in Rockford, Illinois, Mary Kay graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1964 with a BS in Occupational Therapy; after graduation, she worked from 1965 through 1969 at Passavant Hospital, where she started the Occupational Therapy program in the hospital's psychiatric unit; in 1970-1971, she worked as an occupational therapist in the adolescent psychiatric unit at Los Angeles County Hospital; in 1971-1973, she started the Psychiatric Day Hospital in conjunction with Wesley Memorial and Passavant Hospitals, which in 1972 merged to become Northwestern Memorial Hospital; and

WHEREAS, In 1973-1974, Mary Kay served as an occupational therapy consultant for three Jewish homes for the aged; and

WHEREAS, In 1974, recognizing Mary Kay's demonstrated abilities, the Village of Niles hired her to head the Niles Senior Citizens Department when it was founded; in that position, she started the senior center and moved the program into the Trident Center in 1976; she later was appointed the Director of Human Services for the Village, where she was responsible for both the Senior Citizens Department and Family Services; and

WHEREAS, The Village again broadened Mary Kay's responsibilities by appointing her Assistant Village Manager; in 1984, she earned a Master's in Public Administration from DePaul University; three years ago, she was appointed the Village Manager; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, Mary Kay has served her community in many ways besides her positions of employment, including: Co-chairman, Northwest Municipal Conference - Best Practices Teardowns; Chairman, Sister Cities Commission and Association; Member, Building Committee for the Village hall, Human Services and Fitness Center, and Police Station; Board Member of Jets Board - Northwest Community Dispatch; Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago, Occupational Therapy Department, where she was in charge of students on internship; Co-chairman and member, Healthy Community Partnership; and member of the negotiating team for three union negotiations; and

WHEREAS, After retirement, Mary Kay looks forward to being able to spend more time with her family; she and her husband, George, a retired Cook County Associate Judge, would like to spend about two months of the year in Florida in a condominium they own north of Fort Lauderdale and the rest of the time in the Chicago area, where their two daughters, Meghan and Colleen, live; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Mary Kay Morrissey on the occasion of her retirement from the position of Village Manager for the Village of Niles, and we offer our hearty thanks for her devotion to serving the needs of Niles residents for more than thirty years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mary Kay Morrissey as an expression of our respect and esteem and with best wishes for a relaxing retirement.