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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate Mike O'Grady on his
4retirement as Director of Grounds and Fleet Operations at
5Illinois State University in Normal; and
 
6    WHEREAS, He oversees exterior maintenance of the 450 acre
7campus and has served the University for over 36 years; he
8began his profession at Illinois State as a grounds worker and
9has served in a number of leadership roles over the years,
10including the past 13 years as the Director of Grounds; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Under his leadership the Illinois State campus has
12been awarded 8 national and 6 local awards for campus beauty
13and the department's maintenance program; in 2008, Illinois
14State was named the first University in the State of Illinois
15to be awarded the designation of Tree Campus USA by the Arbor
16Day Foundation, an award it has continued to receive every year
17since; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Over the past several years, he has introduced a
19number of environmentally sustainable practices to campus,
20including ultra-thin concrete white-topping in parking lots,
21permeable concrete, bio-swale installations to aid in storm
22water management, rain gardens, "no mow zones", and most

 

 

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1recently the beginning of the development of an Oak Savanna
2Restoration project next to the new Cardinal Court Complex; and
 
3    WHEREAS, He assisted in seeking grants that would be used
4to create the community's first food waste composting program,
5diverting over one million pounds of food waste from the area
6landfill in the first year; he has also helped to create the
7campus's biodiesel program that uses cooking oil from the
8campus dining areas to run vehicles on the campus; almost 6,000
9gallons of cooking oil is being developed into biodiesel on an
10annual basis; and
 
11    WHEREAS, He was a 2011 recipient of Governor Quinn's Green
12Government award for his sustainable efforts on the campus; he
13is the Past President of the Civil Service Counsel and
14currently serves on the Athletics' Wiesbecker Scholarship
15Advisor Board, and serves as Chair of the Redbird Pride
16Committee; and
 
17    WHEREAS, He is a graduate of the Leadership McLean County
18program and has served on various boards in the community,
19including the Bloomington-Normal Boy and Girls Club, the Mclean
20County Extension Foundation, and Leadership McLean County; and
 
21    WHEREAS, He also serves as the Township Supervisor of
22Hudson Township; he and his wife, Connie, have 2 children,

 

 

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1Brandon and Jamie and live in Hudson; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we wish Mike O'Grady the best in his retirement and all the
5best in his future endeavors; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to Mike O'Grady as a symbol of our respect and
8esteem.