SR0251 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0251 LRB097 12088 KXB 56053 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Gary Dahl represented the constituents of Illinois' 38th Senate District with distinction for six years; and

WHEREAS, During that time he served as the Republican Spokesman on the Local Government and Agriculture Committees, as well as serving as a member of the Consumer Protection, Human Services, State Government and Veterans Affairs, and Transportation Committees; and

WHEREAS, He served his country in the United States Army at the height of the Cold War from 1958 to 1962, including numerous assignments across the United States as well as two years in Germany; and

WHEREAS, He worked as a truck driver for 20 years, driving large rigs hundreds of thousands of miles during that time; and

WHEREAS, After the company he worked for shut down, Gary Dahl started his own trucking business in 1985, Double D Express, which he grew from the ground up into one of Illinois' leading trucking companies; and

WHEREAS, In 1992 he started Double D Warehouse, LLC, which today has one million square feet of warehousing space on 50 acres; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dahl is known for being a loyal and generous employer to his more than 200 employees; and

WHEREAS, He continued that generosity by turning Double D Express into an employee-owned company, giving those employees a greater say in how their business is run and a greater stake in its future; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dahl has a long history of civic responsibility, and is warmly regarded in the Illinois Valley and beyond for his generosity and good citizenship; and

WHEREAS, He has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity and countless hours of his time to worthy causes; and

WHEREAS, He has been active in numerous community organizations over the years, including Meals on Wheels, the Habitat for Humanity Foundation Board, the Peru Rotary, Horizon House, the Junior Achievement Board, and numerous church boards; and

WHEREAS, Gary and his wife Debbie Dahl demonstrated their love for animals by donating a building and three acres in LaSalle for the Illinois Valley Animal Rescue's permanent home; and

WHEREAS He served as a board member on the Illinois Valley Red Cross for six years, helping that organization's local, national, and international relief efforts; and

WHEREAS, He served as the two-time president of the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce, a position he used to promote the local economy and bring businesses to North Central Illinois; and

WHEREAS, During times of local and national disasters, Gary Dahl allowed his business's trucks to be used to help the victims; and

WHEREAS, Following the devastating tornado that hit Utica and Granville he provided several of his business's trucks to be used to store victims' belongings; and

WHEREAS, Following Hurricane Katrina, he donated several of Double D Express's trucks and warehouse space to collect items sent to the disaster zone; and

WHEREAS, As a small-business owner, Gary Dahl was active with several groups connected to his work, including the National Federation of Independent Business, the MidWest Truckers Association, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Trucking Association, the American Trucking Association, and the Distribution and LTL Carriers Association; and

WHEREAS, After years of disappointment and frustration with the direction of state government, Gary Dahl decided to run for the office of State Senator; and

WHEREAS, He campaigned on the platform that government should be about "the next generation, not the next election"; and

WHEREAS, That message resounded with the voters of the 38th District, who elected him their new State Senator in 2004 in a come-from-behind upset victory, his first try at elective office; and

WHEREAS, As Senator he always told it like it is, often taking on the powerful interests and government bureaucracy on behalf of his constituents; and

WHEREAS, Senator Dahl stood up for his principles during his time in the Illinois Senate, including fiscal responsibility, low taxation, and a limited government accountable to the people, rather than vice-versa; and

WHEREAS, With the help of his district aides Jen Riva, Agatha Brennan, and O.J. Stoutner, Senator Dahl established a top-tier constituent outreach operation that helped make government work for the taxpayer; and

WHEREAS, He fulfilled his campaign promise to donate his Senate paycheck to charity, eventually donating more than $400,000 to local charities through the Gary Dahl Charity Fund; and

WHEREAS, His dedication as a public servant and no-nonsense approach to government led voters to reelect him with more than 60 percent of the vote in 2008; and

WHEREAS, He was the three-time winner of the Kankakee County Fair's celebrity goat-milking contest, a feat yet to be matched; and

WHEREAS, He sponsored and passed legislation that raised public awareness of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS) a debilitating, neurological syndrome that impacts more than 500,000 Americans; and

WHEREAS, He has won numerous awards and recognitions for his work in the Senate, including the Red Cross's Prairie State Good Neighbor Award, the Illinois Chamber's Guardian of Small Business, and the Illinois Farm Bureau Activator Award for being a Friend of Agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dahl was recognized in 2008 by Easter Seals, which honored him with the Outstanding Advocate Award for an Elected State Official for his many good works, both in and out of office; and

WHEREAS, As Senator he never forgot his military service and those who have served, fighting for and securing the funding necessary to staff the LaSalle Veterans' Home's 80-bed expansion; and participating as a guardian for two World War II veterans in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, He retired from the Senate in the best way possible, of his own choice, in 2010 in order to spend more time with his family and enjoy the warm Arizona winter that has proved elusive to the Land of Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, He has been a dedicated husband to his wife Debbie, who has truly been his partner in all areas of life, including family, business, community, and politics; and

WHEREAS, He has been a devoted parent to his children, step-children, and grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, He received the Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award in 2011 for his commitment to philanthropy and commitment to the Illinois Valley Community College as Senator; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dahl was inducted into the Illinois Valley Community College Hall of Fame, class of 2011; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Gary Dahl for his years of dedicated service to the people of Illinois as a veteran, as a businessman, as a philanthropist, and as a lawmaker, and honor him with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Gary Dahl with our best wishes for his future.