HJ0058 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois General Assembly are saddened to hear of the death of Dale Allen Gardner, who passed away on February 19, 2014; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner was born in Fairmont, Minnesota on November 8, 1948; he graduated from Savanna Community High School in 1966 as valedictorian and earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Physics at the University of Illinois in 1970 with a 5.0 grade point average; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner entered into active duty with the United States Navy and was assigned to Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner graduated from Basic Naval Flight Officer Training School with the highest academic average ever achieved in the history of the squadron; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner then attended Naval Air Technical Training Center for advanced training where he was selected as a Distinguished Naval Graduate and was awarded his Naval Flight Officer Wings on May 5, 1971; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner then spent his next two years assigned to the Weapons Systems Test Division; he was involved in the initial F-14 Tomcat developmental test and evaluation from 1973 until 1976 and was assigned with the first operational F-14 squadron; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner was assigned to Test and Evaluation Squadron Four (VX-4) aboard Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California and was involved in the operational test and evaluation of Navy fighter aircraft; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January of 1978; he reported to the Johnson Space Center and completed a one-year training and evaluation period in August of 1979; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner subsequently served as the Astronaut Project Manager for the flight software in the space shuttle onboard computers leading up to the first flight in April of 1981; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner logged a total of 337 hours in space and 225 orbits of the Earth on two flights at the end of his NASA career; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner returned to his Navy duties and was assigned to the United States Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado in October of 1986 where he served for two years; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner was promoted to the rank of captain in June of 1989 and became the Command's Deputy Director for Space Control at Patterson Air Force Base; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner retired from the United States Navy in October of 1990 and accepted a position with TRW Inc. in Colorado Springs and became program manager for TRW's Space and Defense Sector; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner ended his career as the Associate Director for Renewable Fuels Science and Technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 2003 and retired in January of 2013; and

WHEREAS, Dale Gardner was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the NASA Space Flight Medal, the Master Space Badge, and the Lloyd's of London Meritorious Service Medal; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the Savanna-Sabula bridge as the "Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge"; 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 "Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Dale Gardner, the Mayor of Savanna, the Mayor of Sabula, Iowa, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.