HR0354 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0354 LRB097 11930 KXB 55411 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Marie Kay Bockhaus on her retirement as Principal of St. Joseph School in Aurora; and

WHEREAS, She was born on March 6, 1939, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, to Roy and Edna Bockhaus; she went to grade school at St. Mary's, then Rhinelander Junior High for 9th grade, and graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1957; and

WHEREAS, In 1957, she entered Holy Family Convent in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, as a postulant, began her college education, and then took a year off; she professed her first vows in 1959 and returned to college; in the 1961-62 school year, she began to teach in Algoma, Wisconsin at St. Mary's; in 1965, she was assigned to Holy Innocents School in Manitowoc where she taught 5th grade for two years; during this time, she went to school in the summer and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966 with a major in biology and a minor in English; and

WHEREAS, Her next assignment was teaching in Santa Barbara, California, at San Roque School for 2 years; she began teaching fifth grade at St. Joseph School in Aurora in the 1968-1969 school year, and then moved to teaching 8th grade in the middle of the year; and

WHEREAS, She attended Northern Illinois University for her Master's in elementary education in 1975; in 1983, Sister Mary Catherine Daly nominated her for the Miriam Joseph Ferrell award for distinguished teaching and she received her award at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. in 1983; that same year she was honored as the Kane County Parochial Teacher of the Year; and

WHEREAS, She later joined Phi Delta Kappa, a fraternal organization for educators sponsored at that time by Northern Illinois University, becoming involved in officer positions from foundation chair to President; and

WHEREAS, In 1997, Monsignor Barr asked her to be principal at St. Joseph; she earned her Master's in Administration with a 75 Certificate for Administrators in Illinois in 2000; she has taught and served at St. Joseph for 43 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Marie Kay Bockhaus on her retirement in education and wish her the best for years to come; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Marie Kay Bockhaus as a symbol of our respect and esteem.