HR0867 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0867 LRB099 15035 MST 39241 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate William E. Feurer on the occasion of his retirement as the legal officer for the Illinois Board of Higher Education in December of 2015; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer has served with the Illinois Board of Higher Education since 1973; during his tenure there, he has served with great distinction and his wise legal counsel and common sense have served the Board well; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer has worked extensively on the critical task of defining criteria and a system of priorities for program planning and review of new and existing units of instruction, research or public service at State universities plus the operations and program offerings at private institutions of higher education to ensure students have access to academic programs of high quality; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer helped to coordinate the statutory realignment of 4 public university governing boards for 9 institutions (the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities, the Board of Regents, the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois) into the current system of 9 boards of trustees; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer has established and maintained a professional and purposeful relationship with members and staff of the Board of Higher Education, fellow legal officers at institutions of higher education in Illinois, members of the General Assembly, and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer served 17 years in the Navy Reserve after being selected for service in 1952, which provided the opportunity to attend Rice University in Houston, Texas and to graduate from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri; he was commissioned into the United States Navy for 3 years and served on the U.S.S. Maloy, an experimental destroyer escort; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer, a trained journalist in print for weekly and small dailies, worked for the United Press International in Chicago, and was transferred to work for the United Press International in Springfield, where the main beat was the State Capitol Building, covering the House, Senate, gubernatorial news conferences, political campaigns, and other things associated with State government; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer was hired by Governor Otto Kerner in 1962 as his assistant press secretary, speech writer, coordinator for the Governor's weekly article and radio show, Your Governor Reports, until 1968 when he enrolled at the University of Illinois Law School; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer was admitted to the Illinois Bar Association on May 18, 1971; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer worked for Senate President Cecil A. Partee, the first African-American in Illinois history to preside over a chamber of the State Legislature; and

WHEREAS, William Feurer has practiced law in Springfield for more than 44 years, during which time he has also served on numerous community boards, committees, and commissions; he has also served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois at Springfield; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank William E. Feurer for his service to the citizens of the State of Illinois, especially to those who have been educated at Illinois' colleges and universities, and extend our best wishes to him in his retirement; and be it further

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