HR0645 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0645 LRB096 14890 GRL 29762 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Dick Dechert on the occasion of his lifetime of dedicated service to his community; and

WHEREAS, Dick Dechert was born and raised in Stonington, where he spent his summers playing baseball and his winters playing basketball; when Stonington went to the basketball sectionals in 1949 and lost to Taylorville, he scored 14 points during the 66-42 game; and

WHEREAS, After high school, Dick Dechert attended Millikin University; he graduated in 1957 after two years in the service; during his tenure at Millikin, he played baseball and basketball and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, where he met many life-long friends; and

WHEREAS, After college, Dick Dechert took a job with Leader Iron Works, a pressure vessel manufacturer in Decatur; he quickly became one of the top salespeople at Leader and was placed in charge of numerous national sales responsibilities; he also worked for Bankers Life and Hydrotex; and

WHEREAS, Dick Dechert is well-known throughout his community as a successful businessman; he started his career as a venture capitalist when he joined with Larry Hamm and Jim Ploeger to create a sales agency for Hydrotex, which became very successful and was then sold; he then joined Max Greenberg and Dave Cooper to start About Time Coffee, which became Marquis Beverage; he later operated his own restaurant on the first floor of 363 South Main in Decatur; he was recruited by Larry van Alstine, Harry Cook, Phil Jones, and others to help rescue the nearly-bankrupt Decatur Sports Foundation and the Decatur Pride; he also bought Decatur Electronics with Lyle Rausch and Cortland Moody and quickly sold it, but not before he personally sold and delivered the first radar gun the St. Louis Cardinals ever bought; and

WHEREAS, Dick Dechert has dedicated a great amount of time and effort to volunteering; he worked for the Decatur Mental Health Center and the RCC; he has operated DUI Services, which provides classes and counseling for those convicted of drunk driving, with Joan Lewis since 1984; he has served as a volunteer and as membership director at the YMCA; he was also instrumental in the creation of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Macon County, which has provided caring adult mentors for thousands of kids since 1987, and is greatly responsible for the organization’s talented staff and various social spaces; and

WHEREAS, Dick Dechert enjoys golfing, particularly at Scovill Golf Course, where his big smile welcomes golfers on Tuesdays and Thursdays; he also runs Scovill’s Friday evening couples league and serves as his wife’s recruiter for the Millikin Women’s Golf team; he also continues his work at Big Brothers Big Sisters, where he serves as president of the Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS, Dick Dechert is a member of First United Methodist Church, where he has taught an adult Sunday school for over 40 years; and

WHEREAS, Dick Dechert and his loving wife, Marilyn, have 5 children in their loving blended family; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Dick Dechert on the occasion of his lifetime of dedicated service to his community and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

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