HR0657 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0657 LRB099 13070 GRL 36955 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Sharon Conatser, a proud citizen of Champaign, will be elected to serve as National President of the American Legion Auxiliary during the organization's 95th National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland on September 3, 2015, with the theme of "Keeping the Promise"; she is a proud American Legion Family member of Urbana Auxiliary Unit 71; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1919, the American Legion Auxiliary is the world's largest women's patriotic service organization with a national membership of nearly 800,000; the organization has a strong presence in more than 9,000 communities nationwide, including 496 Auxiliary units in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Sharon Conatser joined the American Legion Auxiliary with her eligibility through her father, Clay Lofton, a World War II and Korean War veteran; she is also eligible through her husband, Marty, a Vietnam veteran, and her son, Rick, a veteran from the Gulf War era; her 3 sons, daughters-in-law, and 5 grandchildren are all members of the American Legion Family; and

WHEREAS, Sharon Conatser has held numerous Auxiliary leadership positions in the organization at the unit, district, and department levels; at the national level, she has chaired many committees and has served special appointments since 2001; during the 2007-2008 administrative year, she served as First Lady of The American Legion; and

WHEREAS, Sharon Conatser chose Springfield as the site and host city of her National President's Homecoming to show her the rich historic and cultural fabric within her boundaries; and

WHEREAS, The City of Springfield has hosted the annual Department of Illinois American Legion Auxiliary Convention on numerous occasions; the hometown of Abraham Lincoln is the perfect canvas on which to showcase the American Legion's history of service to our nation's veterans; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate October 23-25, 2015 as National American Legion Auxiliary President Sharon Conatser's Homecoming Weekend in the State of Illinois and encourage all of our citizens to recognize the honorable 95-year tradition of the American Legion Auxiliary's volunteerism of "Service not Self"; and be it further

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