HR1259 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1259 LRB093 24078 CSA 54237 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives offer our sincere appreciation to Richard R. Ballinger for his many years of service as Coroner of DuPage County; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Ballinger has been a DuPage County resident for over 38 years, and currently lives in Glendale Heights with his wife Sandy; and

WHEREAS, The Ballingers have raised three beautiful daughters: Heather Frazier, husband Les, with two boys, Ethan and Trevor; Laurel Belcher, husband Charley, with daughter, Lindsey Rose; and Holly Ballinger; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Ballinger began his career in law enforcement in 1970 as a patrolman with the DuPage County Sheriff's office before becoming an evidence technician working in the sheriff's crime lab; and

WHEREAS, In 1973, he was hired as the first full-time Chief Deputy Coroner of DuPage County working with Coroner Robert Matthews until 1987, when he was appointed Coroner to fulfill Robert Matthews' term; and

WHEREAS, He was subsequently elected to the position of Coroner in November of 1988, and re-elected in 1992, 1996, and 2000; and

WHEREAS, He has committed over 30 years of his life to law enforcement and death investigation, during which he has personally handled over 10,000 death investigations, presided over 3,000 inquest hearings, and participated in over 270 homicide investigation; and

WHEREAS, He is a member of countless professional organizations; he is a member of the Illinois State Crime Commission Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Directors of Safe Wheels of America, a member of the Board of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, a member of the Advisory Board of Family Services of DuPage County, chairman of MacCormac College Board of Trustees, and a member of the State of Illinois Child Death Review Team, as well as many others; and

WHEREAS, He has been the recipient of numerous awards for the leadership he has shown, including the Illinois State Crime Commission General Excellence Award for 2000 and the Outstanding Young Man of America for 1981; and

WHEREAS, He bravely served his country in the United States Army and is a Vietnam Veteran; and

WHEREAS, The residents of DuPage County are lucky to have had such a strong leader, expert, and advocate as Coroner; and

WHEREAS, We recognize his service to DuPage Country and salute his work in death investigations; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we do hereby offer our congratulations to Richard R. Ballinger on his retirement and express our gratitude for his many years of public service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Ballinger.