HR0808 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0808 LRB094 16963 HSS 52243 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, By the middle of January of 2006, a familiar face in the Statehouse will take a long-deserved break and his voice will be missing from the airwaves; Ben Kiningham, Springfield Bureau Chief for the Illinois Radio Network, has announced his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kiningham was born in Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1942; he graduated from Springfield High School in 1960 and attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he studied radio-TV and started his broadcasting career as a volunteer at WSIU; and

WHEREAS, He enlisted in the military in late 1964, serving in the Illinois Air National Guard; some years later, he served as public affairs staff officer for the 183rd Tactical Fighter Group; he retired from the 183rd with the rank of lieutenant colonel after 22 years in the military; and

WHEREAS, He began his broadcast career in Springfield at WTAX, where he was hired on January 24, 1966; since 1974, when he succeeded Bill Miller as Statehouse Bureau Chief for the Capital Information Bureau, he has kept radio listeners apprised of developments in Illinois government and politics; and

WHEREAS, He is past president of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) and the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association; he received a lifetime achievement award from the INBA and has received several news awards from media organizations, including the AP, UPI, and the National Association of State Radio Networks; in 2004, he was named alumnus of the year by the radio-televsion department at SIU-C; and

WHEREAS, His affiliations stretch to the private sector, and he is a past chair of the American Lung Association Christmas Seal campaign downstate and a former elder in Central Presbyterian Church in Petersburg; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kiningham has spent more than 10 years hosting "CapitolView with Ben Kiningham", a public affairs program, with a panel of reporters discussing the latest political events in the State; and

WHEREAS, During his retirement, he plans to stay active in his hobbies of amateur radio and photography, and he and his wife, Beth, hope to travel, including visits to their children in Wisconsin and Arizona; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that on the occasion of his retirement, we congratulate Mr. Ben Kiningham, who has exemplified the highest ideals of journalism and community responsibility and whose voice will truly be missed; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Kiningham with our sincerest best wishes for his future.