HR0328 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0328 LRB103 32676 LAW 62382 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Dean W. Dittmar on the occasion of his retirement as coordinator of Facilitation Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE) at the University of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Dean Dittmar was born to Lyle and Charlotte Dittmar in Jo Daviess County near Galena in 1963, and he was raised on the family dairy, beef, and grain farm; he attended Galena High School, where he completed agriculture courses and served as chapter president of FFA, earning his State FFA Degree; his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects included managing 200 laying hens while selling the eggs to restaurants and neighbors as well as raising two beef cows and feeder calves; and

WHEREAS, Dean Dittmar initially majored in agricultural engineering in the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois before deciding to study education instead to pursue a career as an agricultural education teacher; during his studies, he was actively involved in the Ag Education Club, serving as president, and was named an outstanding junior and senior member; he completed student teaching at Rochelle High School; and

WHEREAS, Dean Dittmar taught agriculture at Waterloo High School from 1985 to 1990, teaching an average of 110 students annually out of 550 students; he guided students as they participated in FFA, which resulted in students earning nine State FFA Degrees, one American FFA Degree, 26 section proficiency awards, 10 district proficiency awards, and two state proficiency awards, placing second as a state agribusiness management team, and their alumni chapter receiving a gold rating; he received the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT) Outstanding Young Member Award and was named the Waterloo High School Teacher of the Year in 1989; he assisted in organizing the 50th Waterloo FFA Anniversary Banquet in 1990, where over 600 individuals attended; he also served as the secretary/treasurer and chairperson of IAVAT's Section 22; and

WHEREAS, When the Illinois Leadership Council for Agricultural Education (ILCAE) and the Illinois Committee for Agricultural Education (ICAE) were formed in the 1980s, Dean Dittmar was selected to be the field advisor of District 5 of Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE), which began on July 1, 1990; through the position, he provided assistance, improvements, and opportunities for success to a broader network, and his work with educators allowed for a greater impact on thousands of students; and

WHEREAS, During his 33 years as a FCAE program advisor, Dean Dittmar assisted in the start of 33 new agricultural education programs and 24 FFA alumni chapters; he also presented agriscience curriculums, hands-on activities, and resources at more than 675 workshops to over 17,000 participants; and

WHEREAS, For the past five years, Dean Dittmar has served as coordinator of FCAE, guiding the best use of funding for schools, teachers, and students with a budget of $1,024,500, including agriculture courses fulfilling graduation academic requirements, additional funding for programs and teacher contracts, Ag In The Classroom(AITC) county partnerships, and involvement with Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS); he has been instrumental in maintaining, improving, and expanding agricultural education programs in schools and increasing the quality talent pipeline for agribusinesses; and

WHEREAS, Dean Dittmar is also a member of the St. Louis AgriBusiness Club, where he served as president in 2006; and

WHEREAS, Dean Dittmar has been married to his wife, Eva, since 1997, and they have two daughters, Taylor and Jesse; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dean W. Dittmar on his retirement as coordinator of Facilitation Coordination in Agricultural Education (FCAE) at the University of Illinois, and we commend his dedication to students and educators in agriculture; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dean Dittmar as an expression of our esteem and respect.