HR1021 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1021 LRB096 21623 GRL 39121 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Lee Bagan for being honored with the "Lee Bagan Endowment Dinner" at the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas; and

WHEREAS, Lee Bagan is a native of Highland Park; in spite of a reading disability, he was the top student in the University of Texas Middle Eastern studies undergraduate program in 2005, earning his bachelor's degree in only 3 years; he learned Arabic, Persian, Tajiki, and Hebrew as part of his master's degree in Middle Eastern studies earned from the University of Texas in 2007; and

WHEREAS, Lee Bagan currently serves as a Department of Defense civil service specialist, providing intelligence on the Iraqi human landscape to Navy SEALs and paratroopers of the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division (the Advise and Assist Brigade); he formerly served as the principal Middle East and Central Asia subject-matter expert for Navy SEAL Teams 7 and 10 and for Marine Corps Regimental Combat Team 8 in western Iraq; and

WHEREAS, The first "Lee Bagan Endowment Dinner" was held on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, to recognize the endowment's supporters and to attract further financial support for a scholarship fund for gifted University of Texas students struggling with learning disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Lee Bagan serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Lee Bagan for being honored with the "Lee Bagan Endowment Dinner" and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Lee Bagan as a symbol of our esteem and respect.