HR0120 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0120 LRB095 11287 KXB 31871 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois wish to honor G. Kent Barnheiser on the occasion of his retirement from the Alzheimer's Association-Greater Illinois Chapter after serving the Greater Illinois Chapter from September 1994 to March 2007; and

WHEREAS, Kent retires as President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association-Greater Illinois Chapter in March 2007, after more than 12 years of leadership for the Chapter and after more than 21 years as a member of the Alzheimer's Association family; and

WHEREAS, Kent came to the chapter in September 1994, from having worked the previous nine years as the first executive director for the Alzheimer's Association-Orange County Chapter in southern California and then as vice president of chapter services at the Alzheimer's Association National Office in Chicago, where he started the division; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure, the Greater Illinois Chapter service area expanded from several counties in the metropolitan Chicago area to 68 of the 102 counties in Illinois; the Chapter has offices in Bloomington, Carterville, Chicago, Joliet, Rockford, Skokie, and Springfield with staff now serving the more than half million citizens of Illinois affected by Alzheimer's who are in the chapter area, including 210,000 people with Alzheimer's disease, plus family members and caregivers; and

WHEREAS, Kent's professional interest in Alzheimer's disease and the Alzheimer's Association grew out a personal connection with the disease, because both of his parents had Alzheimer's disease; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his work with the Alzheimer's Association, Kent taught middle school in Ohio and worked for the Dayton, Ohio, YMCA as its executive director; he is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a Bachelor's degree in education; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate G. Kent Barnheiser on the occasion of his retirement from the Alzheimer's Association-Greater Illinois Chapter and thank him for his tremendous contribution to helping the over 210,000 Illinoisans and their caregivers as they live with the effects of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. G. Kent Barnheiser as a symbol of our tremendous gratitude and esteem.