SJ0037eng 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 37

(As Amended by Senate Amendment No. 2)

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals who have served their communities; and

WHEREAS, Roger E. Walker Jr. was born on February 7, 1949; he attended Eisenhower High School and served in the United States Navy from 1967 to 1969; he graduated from Richland Community College; and

WHEREAS, Roger Walker joined the Macon County Sheriff's Office in 1972; he climbed the ranks to patrol sergeant, detective, and lieutenant; he loved children and would hand out licorice to children while patrolling the Longview Housing Project; and

WHEREAS, Roger Walker was elected Macon County Sheriff in 1998, becoming the first African American sheriff in the State of Illinois; he was re-elected in 2002; and

WHEREAS, Roger Walker was appointed Director of the Department of Corrections in 2003 and served for six years; and

WHEREAS, Roger Walker was appointed to the Prisoner Review Board in 2009 and served until 2010; and

WHEREAS, Roger Walker passed away on March 10, 2012; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Route 48 as it travels between Elwin Road and East Mound Road as the "Sheriff Roger E. Walker Jr. Memorial Road"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name "Sheriff Roger E. Walker Jr. Memorial Road"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Roger Walker, the Mayor of Decatur, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.