HR0608 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0608 LRB096 14563 GRL 29401 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of the DeKalb Municipal Band and its director for 61 years, Dee Palmer, for giving 155 years of musical entertainment and enrichment of the arts for the people of DeKalb County; and

WHEREAS, Willard Deloss Palmer was born in DeKalb on September 7, 1914; he earned his bachelor's degree in music from Northern Illinois State Teachers College; and

WHEREAS, Dee Palmer taught music at the laboratory school in DeKalb; he played cornet in the NBC Orchestra for nearly 5 years; he worked in the Palmer Music Store, a family business that has included four generations in its nearly 100-year history; he has also directed the DeKalb Municipal Band since 1948; and

WHEREAS, Dee Palmer has contributed to the DeKalb community through his involvement in the Kishwaukee Community Hospital Board and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce; he has also endowed countless individuals and families in his community with a general appreciation of the musical arts, including his sons, Rodger (Marsha) and Gary (Barbara); and

WHEREAS, The Palmer Family Music Education Scholarship Fund was named in honor of Dee Palmer; the fund will award a scholarship every year to a DeKalb Township student who plans to study music; and

WHEREAS, Dee Palmer has been honored in many ways by the City of DeKalb, including the most recent unveiling on August 18, 2009 of a life-size bronze statue of himself in Hopkins Park; he is deeply admired by local residents who enjoy his direction of the DeKalb Municipal Band that performs on Tuesday evenings during the summer; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate and thank Dee Palmer for the inspiration and joy he has provided the citizens of DeKalb County through his position as director of the DeKalb Municipal Band; and be it further

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