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91_HR0370
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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Honorable Gene Hoffman is a lifelong son of
3 Illinois, born on September 26, 1932, in Canton, Illinois;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, Gene Hoffman, PhD., has dedicated his life to
6 education, starting as a student in Belvidere High School and
7 Illinois State University, and continuing with graduate and
8 post-graduate work at Northern Illinois University and the
9 University of Chicago, and has dedicated his life to public
10 service, including his service in the U.S. Army during the
11 Cold War era; and
12 WHEREAS, Gene Hoffman, eager to combine his lifetime love
13 of education and desire for public service into one
14 profession, became a teacher, eventually being promoted to
15 the role of chairman of the Social Studies Department at
16 Fenton High School in Bensenville, and receiving the
17 President's Award from the Illinois Association of School
18 Administrators; and
19 WHEREAS, As a teacher, a member of one of the valuable
20 professions in America, Gene Hoffman rose from the ranks of
21 Illinois citizens, being chosen by his neighbors to serve as
22 vice president of the Elmhurst Young Republicans Club and
23 chairman of the York Township Republican Organization; and
24 WHEREAS, The Honorable Gene Hoffman was selected by his
25 neighbors in 1966 to represent DuPage County in the Illinois
26 House, in which he served for 24 years and rose to the rank
27 of Assistant Minority Leader; and
28 WHEREAS, As a working teacher and school administrator,
29 Gene Hoffman immediately established himself as a leader on
30 educational issues, serving as chairman of the School
31 Problems Commission and vice chairman of the House Elementary
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1 and Secondary Education Committee, and winning appointment to
2 the Education Commission of the States and the National
3 Conference of State Legislators; and
4 WHEREAS, Gene Hoffman dedicated his service in the
5 General Assembly to the twin goals of increasing resources
6 for education and improving the qualification of teachers,
7 working with the Senate to create and sponsor the landmark
8 1985 school reform package, Senate Bill 730; and
9 WHEREAS, Gene Hoffman's Senate Bill 730 invented many of
10 the features of the Illinois educational landscape which
11 today's teachers and administrators take for granted, such as
12 the district report card, statewide student assessment
13 examinations, the first test of basic skills for teacher
14 certificate applicants, mandatory teacher evaluations,
15 specialized subject endorsements by the State Board of
16 Education, entrance exams for teacher education programs,
17 equal opportunity scholarships for female and minority
18 education students, and a regional network of educational
19 service centers under the State Board of Education; and
20 WHEREAS, Gene Hoffman's educational leadership won him
21 the A-Plus Award from the Illinois Education Association; and
22 WHEREAS, As the Honorable Gene Hoffman would be the first
23 to acknowledge, his ability to serve the people of Illinois
24 would have been absent without the love and support of his
25 wife, Diana, who he lost to cancer in 1990, and his four
26 children, Lynn, Mark, Sue, and Greg; and
27 WHEREAS, After the conclusion of his service in the
28 Illinois House in 1991, Gene Hoffman moved on to new
29 challenges, working throughout the 1990's to represent the
30 concerns of the Chicago Board of Education, the DuPage County
31 Board, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, the Lake
32 County Forest Preserve District, and the Regional
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1 Transportation Authority before the General Assembly; and it
2 was during this time that he met his wife, Sally; they were
3 married on July 11, 1993; Sally, along with her children,
4 Mark, Steven, and Kimberly provide a continuous source of
5 love and support through his new extended family, which
6 includes 15 grandchildren; and
7 WHEREAS, Gene Hoffman's continuing educational leadership
8 and work for the increasing qualifications and welfare of
9 teachers and educators throughout Illinois, before, during,
10 and after his service in the Illinois House of
11 Representatives, helped raise the status of the Chicago
12 public schools from the nation's "worst public school system"
13 into a model for urban education throughout America;
14 therefore, be it
15 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17 we commend the Honorable Gene Hoffman, teacher, school
18 administrator, and 24-year member of the Illinois House of
19 Representatives, for his lifetime of public service; and be
20 it further
21 RESOLVED, That as the Illinois House of Representatives
22 continues to address the important issue of education in our
23 State now and in the future, we will continue to look upon
24 the example and work of Gene Hoffman for our inspiration; and
25 be it further
26 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
27 presented to the Honorable Gene Hoffman and his wife, Sally.