HR1087 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1087 LRB095 20346 GRL 47666 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are proud to congratulate Darrell McGibany of Alton on his retirement from the Madison County Probation Department in December of 2007; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McGibany has spent his lifetime helping children of all walks of life, fortunate and unfortunate; he spent his entire career in Madison County, starting as a probation officer in 1974, promoted to Superintendent of Detention in 1978, then promoted again to Associate Director of Probation and Court Services in 1988; he served as Director of Probation and Court Services from 1996 until his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McGibany received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government in 1968 from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana and his Master of Arts degree in Government from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois in 1972; he received an additional Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois in 1982; and

WHEREAS, The professional career of Mr. McGibany has been distinguished by his exceptional efforts to modernize court services and probation, developing and promoting programs that are the model for probation departments, not only in Illinois but across the country; these efforts include pretrial services, victim services, school-based probation, public service employment, enhanced detention services, drug court, mental health court, truancy court, community corrections, offender intake and assessment, satellite offices, intensive probation and treatment for sex offenders and domestic violence offenders, and evidence-based practices; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McGibany has received numerous letters of commendation, awards, and recognition for his tireless efforts, including the William C. Albertson Award in 1984, the S. William Ettinger Award in 1992, and the Gene Hughes Award in 2000, all from the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association for his contributions to the probation profession throughout his career; he also received the greatest recognition of all, being universally acclaimed as a "Probation Officer's Probation Officer"; and

WHEREAS, Despite the time commitments necessary to successfully administer the probation and court services department in Madison County, Mr. McGibany has provided his expertise to the probation community on a state-wide and national basis, serving as President of the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association from 1988 to 1990, serving on the Board of Directors of the American Probation and Parole Association from 1999 to 2007, and serving as a Commissioner on the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission from 1994 to the present; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McGibany was equally devoted to his co-workers as he was to his clients, mentoring young probation officers and teaching them from the heart, not just the rule book; he was well known for placing the needs of "his" juveniles and "his" co-workers above his own, becoming a modern day version of John Augustus, the father of probation, epitomizing Mr. Augustus' self description, "My mission has been to raise the fallen, reform the criminal and so far as my humble abilities would allow, to transform the abode of suffering and misery to the home of happiness"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McGibany provided to all he knew the greatest example of public service and personal service, as shown by his devotion to his family, as a loving husband to his wife, Rita, as a loving father to Ted, Lisa, Kate, and Matt, and as the special grandfather to his four grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Darrell McGibany on his retirement from the Madison County Probation and Courts Services Department and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Darrell McGibany as an expression of our esteem, and that additional copies be presented to the Circuit Court of Madison County and the Probation and Court Services Department of Madison County, in recognition of Mr. McGibany's distinguished career.