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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 1988, Illinois' Bonnie Blair won a gold medal
3in the 500-meter speed skating event held at the Winter
4Olympics in Calgary, a great concrete wall snaked through the
5heart of Berlin, The Cosby Show and Roseanne were the
6highest-rated shows on U.S. television, and Ronald Reagan was
7the President of the United States; and
 
8    WHEREAS, In that same year, Elizabeth "Liz" Laird started
9her career with the Illinois General Assembly as a legislative
10page; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Choosing for mysterious and unfathomable reasons
12to continue in General Assembly life as a career, Elizabeth
13Laird worked as a legislative secretary for several House
14Republican members who themselves had illustrious careers,
15including then-State Representative Lolita Didrickson, who
16became the elected Comptroller of Illinois; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Elizabeth Laird was asked by House Republican
18Chief of Staff Mike Stokke to become his secretary and
19executive assistant, and since that time, for over two
20decades, she has been the operational manager for nine House
21Republican Chiefs of Staff; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Elizabeth Laird has seen six governors of
2Illinois come and go, all while continuing to operate and
3guard the southwest corner of the third floor of the State
4Capitol in Springfield; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Elizabeth Laird has seen Illinois through a time
6of tumult and change, during which the State has endured the
7impeachment of a governor, a multi-year budget crisis, and the
8elevation of one of its lawmakers to the office of President of
9the United States; and
 
10    WHEREAS, During these times, Elizabeth Laird's calm
11determination and unfailing courtesy have helped keep things
12going for everyone around her; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In a culmination of plans that she has had for a
14long time, Elizabeth Laird will now leave the service of the
15Illinois General Assembly to rejoin her family, who are
16congregating in a place far away from Springfield; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Elizabeth Laird's colleagues are so grateful for
18her service that they have determined to take the risk of
19thoroughly embarrassing her by voicing and adopting this
20tribute; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Elizabeth Laird should be assured that despite

 

 

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1the words of this tribute, she has already protected herself
2against the danger of getting a swelled head; in response to
3this possibility, she plans to move to Flathead country in the
4northwest part of the Big Sky State of Montana, where the birds
5sing, the buffalo roam, and the mountains look down from
6above; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we congratulate Elizabeth "Liz" Laird, Executive Assistant to
10the House Republican Chief of Staff, upon her retirement; and
11be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That we ask her to talk up Illinois among her
13future neighbors, as she leaves us with the same good wishes as
14we heartily extend to her; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16presented to Elizabeth Laird as a symbol of our respect and
17esteem.