093_HR0101
LRB093 11174 HSS 12130 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Donald J. Payton has served as a legislative
3 liaison to the Illinois General Assembly for more than
4 twenty-four years; and
5 WHEREAS, During these years he represented four state
6 agencies: the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs
7 (January 1979 - May 1984), the Department of Public Health
8 (May 1984 - February 1991), the Department of Alcoholism and
9 Substance Abuse (February 1991 - January 1995) and the
10 Illinois State Board of Education (1995 - 2003); and
11 WHEREAS, Don Payton brought to each of these positions
12 his strong analytic and communication skills, an in-depth
13 knowledge of many subjects, political understanding, the
14 ability to think creatively, and a talent for working with
15 individuals and groups with disparate views to find a
16 reasonable solution; and
17 WHEREAS, These characteristics made him an articulate and
18 effective representative for the agencies he represented and
19 a respected, invaluable resource for the members of the
20 General Assembly; and
21 WHEREAS, Despite his tireless work schedule, Don Payton
22 was a role model as the devoted father of five children, a
23 rabid St. Louis Cardinal fan, an advocate for special
24 education and the 2002 Outstanding Student in Political
25 Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield; and
26 WHEREAS, Donald Payton is now leaving government service
27 in Illinois to serve a Florida community college as Senior
28 Legislative Liaison, as well as teach, sharing his insights
29 into policymaking with the next generation of political
30 science students; therefore, be it
31 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
-2- LRB093 11174 HSS 12130 r
1 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2 we do hereby congratulate Donald J. Payton for his many years
3 of outstanding service to the State of Illinois; and be it
4 further
5 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6 presented to Don Payton as a token of our respect and esteem
7 and with our best wishes for his future endeavors.