HR0762 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0762 LRB097 20103 GRL 65478 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to thank William S. Winston for his dedicated service to our nation and for his many years of spiritual and charitable service to the people of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, William Winston was born in Tuskegee, Alabama; as a child, he was inspired and influenced by the abundance of educators, scientists, and physicians, as well as the historic aviation accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen that served as his role models; he is a graduate of the internationally known Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama (now Tuskegee University); and

WHEREAS, William Winston served as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force for 6 years; he earned numerous awards and medals for his superior flying skills, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal for performance in combat, and the Squadron Top Gun Award; and

WHEREAS, After completing his military service, William Winston joined the IBM Corporation as a marketing representative; his exceptional managerial and relational skills rapidly earned him several promotions within the organization; he resigned from IBM in 1985 as a regional marketing manager in IBM's Midwest Region to become a full-time minister; and

WHEREAS, William Winston earned his Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Friends International Christian University; and

WHEREAS, William Winston is the founder and Pastor of Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, which has over 20,000 members; the church has a broad range of related entities, including the Tuskegee Christian Center, a Bible Training Center, a School of Ministry and Missions, the Living Word Christian Academy, Golden Eagle Aviation, and the Joseph Business School (JBS) for entrepreneurs and business leaders; and

WHEREAS, William Winston is the Chairman of the Board of Covenant Bancshares Inc., a bank-holding company for Covenant Bank; he also serves in leadership positions with the Faith Ministries Alliance, an alliance of more than 350 churches and ministries under Pastor Winston in the U.S. and overseas, and provides oversight for Forest Park Plaza in Forest Park and Washington Plaza in Tuskegee, Alabama; and

WHEREAS, William Winston serves as the host of the Believer's Walk of Faith television and radio broadcast, which reaches more than 760 million households nationwide and overseas; he has also written several books, the most recent being "Training For Reigning"; and

WHEREAS, William Winston is married to Veronica and is the father of 3 children, Melody, Nicole, and David; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank William S. Winston for his dedicated service to our nation and his many years of spiritual and charitable service to the people of the State of Illinois 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 William Winston as a symbol of our esteem and respect.