HR0342 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0342 LRB097 11833 GRL 55152 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Chief Brad Smith on the occasion of his retirement after many years of service with the Oswego Fire Department; and

WHEREAS, In 1950, Brad Smith moved with his parents to Oswego from the northern suburbs of Chicago; after graduating from Oswego High School in 1955, he went to college briefly before joining the United States Marine Corps; after returning home from the service in 1958, he took a job with the grain elevator that operated at Van Buren and South Adams streets in downtown Oswego; and

WHEREAS, In 1965, Chief Brad Smith helped to put out a fiery blaze that destroyed the old Zentmyer Ford dealership at Main and Jackson Streets in Oswego's downtown area; he began his career with the Oswego Fire Department the following year; he steadily worked his way up through the ranks of the fire protection district, achieving the ranks of lieutenant and assistant chief before becoming fire chief; and

WHEREAS, Since becoming chief of the Oswego Fire Department in 1994, Brad Smith has overseen the transformation of the department from a mostly-volunteer staff working out of a single station on Main Street in downtown Oswego to a professional department that is staffed by 57 full-time, professionally-trained paramedic firefighters who work out of four stations, including two stations in Oswego and one each in Montgomery and Plainfield; and

WHEREAS, Brad Smith serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Brad Smith on the occasion of his retirement and wish him many happy and healthy retirement years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Brad Smith as a symbol of our esteem and respect.