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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of James Michael "Jim" Drozdz of Hamilton,
4who passed away on December 29, 2013; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz was born on January 23, 1960 in Chicago
6to James A. and Joan M. (nee Moore) Drozdz; he graduated from
7Alan B. Sheperd High School in Palos Heights and received his
8bachelor's degree in Law Enforcement in 1981 from Western
9Illinois University; he married Barbara Goodin on June 2, 1984
10at St. Paul Church in Macomb; he received his master's degree
11from Western Illinois University in 1990, where he was a member
12of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and his Juris Doctor in
131992 from the Southern Illinois University School of Law and
14was admitted to practice before the Illinois courts; in 1999,
15he was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme
16Court and in 2004 he received his Ph.D. in Higher Education
17Administration from the University of Iowa, where he was a
18member of the Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz served with the Illinois State Police
20from 1984 until 2004 when he was elected the State's Attorney
21for Hancock County; he was re-elected in 2008 and 2012; during
22his time with the Illinois State Police he served in many
23capacities, including the Executive Directorship of the

 

 

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1Division of Internal Investigation in Springfield, as the
2Henderson County Assistant State's Attorney, as an Adjunct
3Professor in the Law Enforcement and Justice Administration
4Department at Western Illinois University, and as a Research
5Fellow with the International Association of Chiefs of Police
6in Alexandria, Virginia; he also served as Special Assistant to
7the Illinois Attorney General and was a Legal Advisor to the
8Illinois State Police in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; he
9was a member of the National District Attorneys' Association
10and the Hancock County Bar Association; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz was an active community member, serving
12as a paramedic for the Hancock County Ambulance Service as as a
13firefighter for the Hamilton Fire Department; he was a member
14and past President of the Carthage Kiwanis Club and former
15member of the Carthage Lions Club; he was on the Hancock County
16Republican Precinct Committee and was an active member of the
17Knights of Columbus and the Immaculate Conception Christian
18Church in Carthage, where he served on the Parish Council; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz enjoyed playing the bagpipes for area
20events and funerals; he liked body building, fitness training,
21traveling, semi-truck driving, and teaching Criminal Law,
22Criminal Procedure, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency
23Medical Technician classes; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz was preceded in death by his
2grandparents; his aunts and uncles; his cousin; and an infant
3nephew; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz is survived by his wife, Barbara; his
5father, James Drozdz; his mother and step-father, Joan and
6Gordon Brown; his sister, Debra Reule; his father-in-law and
7mother-in-law, Carol and Margie Goodin; his sister-in-law,
8Mary (Dale) Thompson; his brothers-in-law, David Goodin and
9Daniel (Barb Coovert) Goodin; his nephews, Mark (fiance, Alex
10Porcelli) Thompson, Matthew (Andrea) Thompson, Michael
11(fiance, Michele Teslicka) Thompson, and Michael Reule; his
12nieces, Samantha (Tyler Huffman) Goodin and Rachel Reule; his
13great-niece, Lyllie Huffman; his great-nephew, Tucker
14Thompson; and 2 aunts and several cousins; therefore, be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
16ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
17James Michael "Jim" Drozdz, and extend our sincere condolences
18to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be
19it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to the family of Jim Drozdz as an expression of our
22deepest sympathy.