HR0204 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0204 LRB096 12008 GRL 24133 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Larry A. DeGraaf on the occasion of his retirement as Executive Director of the Vernon Hills Park District; and

WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf served his country with pride and distinction as a Naval Reserve Officer with a specialty in Cryptology, serving 28 years with three years of active duty from 1965 to 1968; he earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Purdue University in 1970 and his master's degree in education administration from Purdue in 1971; and

WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf has had a long and distinguished career in park and recreation management; he began his career as Director of the West Lafayette (Indiana) Department of Parks and Recreation, a position he served in from 1971 to 1975; he then served as Director of the New Albany and Floyd County (Indiana) Departments of Parks and Recreation from 1975 to 1978; he then took the position of Executive Director of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, serving there from 1978 to 1991; from 1992 to 1997, he served as the Executive Director of the Golf-Maine (Illinois) Park District; he most recently served as Executive Director of the Vernon Hills Park District from January of 1997 until his retirement on March 13, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf was instrumental in the development and improvement of the Vernon Hills Park District during his tenure as Executive Director; he initiated and supervised countless improvements, such as replacing and renovating existing parks, approving new parks, adding paths, expanding parking, and enhancing landscaping; he also put in place many policies and programs that will continue to serve park district patrons in the future, such as the Five Year Parks and Recreation Master Plan, upgraded computer support, online registration, and the Tree and Bench Donation Programs; and

WHEREAS, Under Larry DeGraaf's direction, the Vernon Hills Park District received the Government Finance Officials Association Award for Comprehensive Annual Financial Reporting on seven occasions and was selected as a Gold Medal Finalist three times; he was instrumental in obtaining numerous grants including those from the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Open Space Lands Acquisition, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; in the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation, he executed intergovernmental agreements with the Village of Vernon Hills for the transfer and use of developer impact fees and with High School District 128 for the operation of the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex; and

WHEREAS, In his capacity as Executive Director at Vernon Hills, Larry DeGraaf served on the Board of Directors of the Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County; he also served on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Parks Association Risk Services, a risk pool of more than 160 Illinois park districts; and

WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf is an active member and Past-President of the Mundelein-Vernon Hills Rotary Club; and

WHEREAS, Larry DeGraaf and his wife, Rita, have been married for 14 years; together, they have two children, Kendall and Skylar; he also has two children from his first marriage, Catherine and Rebecca, and three grandchildren, Tristan, Leah, and Jake; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Larry A. DeGraaf on the occasion of his retirement and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Larry DeGraaf as a symbol of our esteem and respect.