HR1264 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1264 LRB096 22394 GRL 41544 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Lyle Rigdon on the occasion of his retirement as the Pawnee Superintendent of Schools; and

WHEREAS, Lyle Rigdon graduated from Ridgefarm High School and Danville Area Community College; he then graduated from Purdue University with a degree in industrial technology; and

WHEREAS, Lyle Rigdon began his educational career as an industrial technology teacher at Westville High School in Westville and Southview Middle School in Danville; he then left the education field and moved to Elkhart, Indiana, where he worked in quality control at Accra Pac; shortly after, he took a job at Dometic, where he served as the company's national training manager and traveled across the country to attend trade shows and develop the company's training manuals; and

WHEREAS, Following his service at Dometic, Lyle Rigdon returned to the Champaign area when he was offered a position with the Vocational Education Department at the University of Illinois, where he was in charge of developing educational materials and training for schools across the nation; he then accepted a job with the National Center for Supercomputing on the University of Illinois campus, where he developed the center's training materials and conducted training programs for high school teachers; during this time, he returned to school to complete his master's degree in educational administration; and

WHEREAS, After his service at the University of Illinois, Lyle Rigdon accepted the position of principal at Westville High School; as principal, he implemented the school's Renaissance program and academy programs, wrote various grants, helped to increase attendance, and conducted various graduation rate programs; he then returned to school and completed his certification to become a school superintendent; shortly after, he took a position as a principal/superintendent in Ludlow; as principal/superintendent, he co-wrote over $500,000 in reading improvement grants, organized many collections for students, and was a reader for grants for the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, Lyle Rigdon moved to Ashland, where he became the superintendent of a K-12 district, where he was involved in both grant writing and school improvement plans; in 2007, he became the Pawnee Superintendent of Schools; as superintendent, he was involved in grant writing for the new greenhouse, the reintroduction of home economics and agriculture classes, and working with the State to make Route 104 a safe road for students; and

WHEREAS, Lyle Rigdon served as a volunteer coach with the Special Olympics; he is also a guest lecturer at UIS, where he is involved in the training of student teachers; and

WHEREAS, Lyle Rigdon is a member of the United Methodist Church and the Lions clubs; he enjoys cars, trains, landscaping, and camping; and

WHEREAS, Lyle Rigdon and his loving wife of 29 years, Lonny, have one son, Luke, and a future daughter-in-law, Christy; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Lyle Rigdon on the occasion of his retirement and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

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