HR0013 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0013 LRB095 03322 HSS 23324 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate NASA astronaut Joseph R. "Joe" Tanner, a Danville native, on a successful career; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Tanner was born on January 21, 1950, in Danville, to Drs. L.W. and Megan Tanner; he is an Eagle Scout and was taught to fly by his father at the Vermilion County Airport; he graduated from Danville High School in 1968 and received a B.S. in engineering in 1973 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a star swimmer; and

WHEREAS, He joined the U.S. Navy after college, earning his pilot wings in 1975; he served as an advanced jet instructor in Florida, before starting at NASA in 1984 as an aerospace engineer and research pilot; and

WHEREAS, He has participated in four space shuttle missions and has logged 43 days, 13 hours, and 15 minutes in space; he has completed multiple space walks, including two on STS-82 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to service the Hubble Space Telescope, and most recently on STS-115 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis to install solar panels on the International Space Station; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Tanner has been honored for his service with the Military Aviation Hall of Fame Exceptional Service Medal, the Stewart M. Present Flight Achievement Award, and the State Flight Medal (NASA); he received the JSC Superior Achievement Award and the Outstanding Alumnus of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois, where he was also a top 100 graduate; and

WHEREAS, When he returns from a mission in space, Mr. Tanner always goes to Danville-area schools to share an astronaut's perspective with students; he and his wife, Martha, live in Houston, Texas, with two sons, William and Matthew; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Tanner returned from STS-115, his most recent space shuttle mission, on Thursday, September 21, 2006; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joseph R. "Joe" Tanner on a successful career with NASA, including four space shuttle missions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Tanner as an expression of our deepest respect and esteem and with best wishes for the future.