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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members the Illinois House Representatives
3are pleased to honor our friend and colleague, Illinois State
4Representative Jim Watson, for his many years of dedicated
5service to the people of the State of Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson was born on July 30, 1965, in
7Jerseyville and raised in Jacksonville, attending Routt
8Catholic High School; he is the son of Evelyn Suess; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson earned his bachelor's of arts and
10master's of arts degree in history from Eastern Illinois
11University in 1988 and 1990; he also received his master's of
12business administration from the University of Illinois,
13Champaign-Urbana in 1997; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson served his country with pride and
15distinction as a member of the United States Marine Corps and
16the Marine Corps Reserves; he is a veteran of both the First
17Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom; while in Iraq, he served
18as a Governance Chief and the Chief Liaison to the Anbar
19Provincial Council, assisting the Iraqi people during their
20transition to a representative form of government; in July
212010, he was awarded the National Medal of Civic Honor for his
22combined service as a veteran and a lawmaker from the National

 

 

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1Conference of State Legislators; of the 8,000 state legislators
2nationwide, there are only 62 recipients of the medal and Rep.
3Watson is the only legislator from Illinois to receive the
4award; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson, while earning his degrees, worked
6as a graduate assistant at Eastern Illinois University and as a
7social studies teacher at Auburn and Highland high schools;
8after graduating, he went on to become the VP of Marketing at
9Wareco and was an adjunct professor of strategic management at
10MacMurray and Blackburn Colleges; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson served as State representative of
12the 97th District from 2001 to 2011; during his tenure in the
13House, he served as assistant Republican leader for two years;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson is a member of numerous veterans
16and civic organizations, including the Marine Corps League, the
17Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Shriners, the Sons of the
18American Legion, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the United Way,
19Rotary International, the Elks, the Chamber of Commerce, and
20the Knights of Columbus; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Rep. Jim Watson and his loving wife, Lisa, reside
22in Jacksonville with their children, Katie, Jacob, and Lexi;

 

 

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1therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we honor Illinois State Representative Jim Watson on his time
5in the General Assembly, his dedication to the people of his
6district, and his service to the people of the State of
7Illinois; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to Representative Jim Watson.