HR0480 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0480 LRB094 12459 CSA 46896 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Richard "Dick" Lusardi, currently superintendent at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, has announced his retirement on June 3, 2005, following a 41-year federal career; and

WHEREAS, His strong experience dealing with historic structures and his fine record of building community support for park resources have been great assets throughout his 38-year career with the National Park Service; and

WHEREAS, He has served as superintendent at Lincoln Home since April of 2003; he was chief of maintenance at the park from 1981 to 1988; the last major restoration of the Lincoln Home was during the years of 1987 and 1988; he served on the committee to select the contractor and worked closely with the NPS Denver Service Center to complete the extensive restoration project of the park's primary resource; and

WHEREAS, Under his direction as superintendent, Mr. Lusardi began the development of a new comprehensive general management plan and EIS for the site to replace the previous 35-year-old master plan; his continued efforts for the overall restoration of the site have lead to the research development of a historic structures report for the reconstruction of the Burch and Carrigan Houses, ca. 1860, homes of two of Lincoln's closest neighbors; in July of 2004, he orchestrated the visit of the national flag exhibit to Springfield in which three American flags measuring 45 feet by 90 feet were placed on display at the site, with the official World War II flag being raised over the home; and

WHEREAS, Immediately preceding his return to Lincoln Home in 2003, he was superintendent at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield in Republic, Missouri; during his tenure at the Civil War battle site, he provided guidance, direction, and leadership to the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation, which resulted in completing a $1.2 million fundraising campaign for the construction of a new 8,235-square-foot Civil War research library and educational facility; he also led the park through the development of a new draft GMP and EIS; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Lusardi served as superintendent at Fort Scott National Historic Site in Fort Scott, Kansas, for three years following an eight-year stint as superintendent of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial in Put-in-Bay, Ohio; during his tenure at Fort Scott, he directed the development of an interpretive program with 16 wayside exhibits depicting the history of the fort, including the role of black education on the site; he was instrumental in bringing new events to the fort through collaboration and partnerships with community and business leaders; the park's first Armed Forces Day celebration recognizing all branches of the service and the appearance of the traveling Viet Nam Wall exhibit brought significant increases in visitation and visibility for the park; and

WHEREAS, Prior experience in maintenance and visitor protection activities included assignments at six other park sites: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Statue of Liberty National Monument, Fire Island National Seashore, Taconic State Park, and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; and

WHEREAS, He and his wife, Diane, have four grown children and six grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Richard "Dick" Lusardi on his exemplary 41-year federal career and wish him all the best in his retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Richard "Dick" Lusardi as an expression of our admiration and esteem.