HR0861 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0861 LRB093 21958 KEF 50169 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Mount Zion Swingsations show choir on their 25th year as a group; and

WHEREAS, The choir was organized in 1973 as a nine-member all-girl Mount Zion swing choir; the group was choreographed by founding member Roberta Vest and Decatur resident and former member of the Radio City Music City Hall Rockettes, Darlene Wittenauer; and

WHEREAS, In 1975, boys joined the group for the first time and to this day the group includes both male and female members; in 1979, the group became known as the Mount Zion Swingsations; and

WHEREAS, The Swingsations have won national dance championships in Florida, California, New York, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Most recently, the Swingsations were awarded honors including the grand championship, best visual effect, best combo, best vocals, best female vocalist, and best male vocalist in Nashville, Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, The director of the choir is Jeff Gemar; assistant director and combo director, Carla Moebius; choreographer, Dwight Jordan; and president of the parents' booster club, Rick McKibben; and

WHEREAS, This body also wishes to recognize former director, Connie Mulligan and former assistant director, Cyndi Johnson, under whose direction the Mount Zion Swingsations were crowned Grand Champion at Chicago Showstoppers in 1995 and at Terpsichore in Chicago in 1999; and former assistant director and alumna, Heather Pistorius; and

WHEREAS, The alumni of the Mount Zion Swingsations gather together for the group's annual dinner theater the weekend of April 28 through May 1, 2004; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Mount Zion Swingsations show choir on celebrating their 25th year as a group; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the director, assistant director, choreographer, president of the parents' booster club, and to each member of the Mount Zion Swingsations show choir as a token of our respect.