HR0120 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0120 LRB096 11674 KXB 22319 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Elizabeth "Bess" Eichelberger of Plainfield, who passed away on February 21, 2009; and

WHEREAS, Elizabeth Eichelberger served on the Plainfield School District Board for almost 26 years, including several years as president: November 1981 to November 1982, November 1986 to November 1987, and November 1989 to November 1991; in August of 2008, Plainfield School District opened a new elementary school, naming it after Elizabeth Eichelberger; she began her time with the Plainfield School District Board on April 13, 1976 and retired on November 12, 2001; and

WHEREAS, She also served 11 years as the director of the Illinois Association of School Boards; while on the school board, she volunteered as secretary at Indian Trail Middle School and as receptionist at the district office, in addition to her other volunteer work; she was school board president when the 1990 tornado struck the area, destroying Plainfield High School, Grand Prairie Elementary School and St. Mary's Immaculate Church where she served as president of the parish council; she went to Washington, D.C., after the tornado to drum up support for Plainfield; and

WHEREAS, After retiring from the school board in 2001, she stayed loyal to the Plainfield School District, serving as a school board ambassador; she attended many school board meetings to report on what she had seen occur at Plainfield Village Board meetings; she also attended many community functions, including graduations, Veterans Day celebrations, homecomings, and numerous ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the district's new schools; and

WHEREAS, She was a bookkeeper for 33 years, and received numerous awards, including the United Way of Will County's Roger Osman Award for distinguished volunteer service in 2005; the Joliet Junior College Distinguished Service Award in 1991; and the State Board of Education's Those Who Excel Award in 1992; and

WHEREAS, She served on the YMCA advisory board, the Plainfield Rotary, the United Way of Will County, the Hall of Fame committee at Plainfield High School, Will County Project Pride, as a greeter at St. Mary's, the district's homecoming committee, and Plainfield Central High School's athletic and band booster clubs; State Representative Tom Cross appointed her to the State panel for Ticket for a Cure; and she helped form an advisory board and recruited community members to join and raise money for the C.W. Avery Family YMCA in Plainfield; and

WHEREAS, Her husband, Edward, died in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Elizabeth Eichelberger was the mother of Linda (Danny) Hulbert and Ed Eichelberger; and the grandmother of Christina Hulbert; she is also survived by her caregivers, Ron and Kathy Kazmar; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with her family and friends, the passing of Elizabeth "Bess" Eichelberger; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Elizabeth "Bess" Eichelberger as a symbol of our sincere sympathy.