HR0705 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0705 LRB098 15196 MST 50182 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate George S. Rudis on the occasion of his retirement after 37 years of distinguished service with the Department of Public Health, the last 21 years as Assistant Deputy Director in the Office of Finance and Administration; and

WHEREAS, George S. Rudis has functioned admirably as a jack of all trades for 9 directors of the Department of Public Health as demonstrated by his innate ability to handle various assignments during his nearly 4 decades serving the public's health, including stints as the Chief of Division of Vital Records for the past 11 years, the Chief of the State/Local Liaison Unit for more than 20 years, the Acting Chief of Information Technology, the Acting Chief of Accounting Services, the Edwardsville Regional Health Officer, the Chief of chronic disease programs, and as a sexually transmitted disease investigator; before working for the State, he was the Assistant Director of the Springfield City Health Department; and

WHEREAS, George S. Rudis has, for nearly 3 decades, provided invaluable service and expert counsel to local health departments, boards of health and county boards, and advocated for bringing State and local health department together to work for common goals; he was instrumental in the formation of 28 local health departments throughout the State, which have helped guarantee people live healthier lives by ensuring the safety of the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe; and

WHEREAS, George S. Rudis was the Deputy State Registrar when landmark legislation was passed in 2010 (P.A. 96-0895) to allow the release of an adopted person's original birth certificate, and through his diligence and that of his staff, has issued nearly 10,000 original birth certificates to adoptees, that in turn have led to many heartfelt reunions of adoptees and their birth parents; and

WHEREAS, George S. Rudis has had many professional accomplishments during his career in public health, including President of the Illinois Public Health Association, President of the American Lung Association and long-time board member, President of the Association of State and Territorial Local Health Liaison Officials, Management Committee of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Program Committee of the National Association of Local Boards of Health, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Re-Accreditation of the Masters of Public Health Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Adjunct Lecturer for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Co-Chair of the Illinois Accreditation Task Force for the Illinois Public Health Institute, member of the Public Health Practitioner Certification Board, and Peer Reviewer for the Michigan Public Health Institute/Michigan Department of Community Health; and

WHEREAS, George S. Rudis received his Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Western Illinois University, where he met his wife, Debbie, and his Master of Arts in Health Services Administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield; he became a Certified Public Health Administrator by the Illinois Public Health Administrator Certification Board in Chicago and was named a Fellow by the Mid-America Regional Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate George S. Rudis on the occasion of his retirement after many years of distinguished service with the Department of Public Health, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to George S. Rudis as an expression of our esteem and respect.