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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate Barbara Thomas on
4the occasion of her retirement on June 1, 2012, after 25 years
5of service as a distinguished Illinois educator; and
 
6    WHEREAS, She was greatly influenced by her mother, Mary
7Woodroffe, who raised 4 children in Lake in the Hills and later
8worked at Quaker Oats; she is currently retired and enjoying
9life at Clare Oaks Retirement Community in Bartlett; and
 
10    WHEREAS, She was also greatly influenced by her father,
11Basil Woodroffe, who served as a Marine in World War II in the
12South Pacific; he later was a Manager at Fox Electric Supply in
13Elgin and Aurora; he passed away in April of 1982; and
 
14    WHEREAS, She graduated from Marian Central Catholic High
15School in Woodstock in 1968; she received her degree in
16Elementary Education at Northern Illinois University in 1972,
17where she met her husband, Randel Thomas; they were married
18August 19, 1972; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In 1973, she was hired as a fifth grade teacher at
20Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Schaumburg District 54; she
21taught for 6 years before leaving to raise her children; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1979, she gave birth to her daughter, Tricia
2Jeanne Klein (Thomas); in 1982, she gave birth to her son,
3Jeffrey Basil Thomas; while raising her children, she was a
4substitute teacher at their elementary school, Steeple Run, in
5Naperville; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1993, she received her Masters degree from
7Northern Illinois University; she then returned to full-time
8teaching as a seventh-grade teacher in 1993 at Notre Dame
9Catholic School in Clarendon Hills, where she taught for 2
10years; in 1995, she began teaching at Brookdale Elementary in
11Indian Prairie School District 204, where she taught fourth and
12fifth grade; in 2009, she transferred to Graham Elementary
13School in Indian Prairie School District 204; and
 
14    WHEREAS, She has influenced hundreds of young students by
15instilling a passion and love for learning; she has mentored
16colleagues by providing guidance for teachers new to the
17profession through collaboration; and she served as an Indian
18Prairie Union Representative for several years; and
 
19    WHEREAS, She has made major contributions to the field of
20education by pioneering researched-based methods; approaching
21her work with enthusiasm and honest reflection; and above all,
22identifying and recognizing that each student has a unique way

 

 

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1of learning, including those with disabilities; and
 
2    WHEREAS, She has made major contributions to the community,
3serving as a volunteer at Naperville North High School in
4Naperville, St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville; the Girl
5Scouts of America, Indian Prairie School District 204, and
6Steeple Run Subdivision as President and Secretary of the
7Community Council; and
 
8    WHEREAS, She plans to spend her retirement doing activities
9at her own leisure at her home in Naperville, including
10spending time with her family, most notably her grandson,
11Justin Thomas Klein, traveling with her husband, substitute
12teaching, enjoying quality time with lifelong friends, most
13notably, the Biddies and the Fake Family, with whom she has
14been friends for over 40 years, and enjoying quiet reading and
15a cup of coffee in the morning; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18we congratulate Barbara Thomas on her retirement as an educator
19and wish her the best in all her future endeavors; and be it
20further
 
21    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22presented to Barbara Thomas as a symbol of our respect and

 

 

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1esteem.