SJ0083 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0083 LRB093 22248 DRH 51196 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Senator John W. Maitland, Jr. was born in Normal, Ill., on July 29, 1936, to John and Elsa Maitland; and

WHEREAS, Senator Maitland is a graduate of Normal Community High School and Illinois State University and served in the United States Marine Corps; and Senator Maitland married his wife, Joanna Sieg, and together they have three children, Jody Ann, Johnny, and Jay, and six grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Senator Maitland, a resident of Bloomington, served in the Illinois State Senate from 1979 until he resigned in April 2002 because of health reasons; and

WHEREAS, During those 23 years, he earned the respect of his colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, because he demonstrated the rare ability to get things done; when he rose to speak in the Senate, people recognized his command of the issues - especially agriculture and education; and

WHEREAS, Senator Maitland is a nationally recognized expert on agriculture issues and has first-hand knowledge of the needs of farmers; he has spent long hours in the fields raising grain; he was president of the local county Farm Bureau; he has studied agriculture and conservation issues in other states; his expertise was the driving force behind the long-sought compromise, forged in 1999, for the regulation of large livestock production facilities in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Senator Maitland is a strong advocate and tireless champion of a quality education, having served in leadership roles on committees and commissions that analyzed and set education policy affecting Illinois students across the State; he had a leadership role in every major effort to improve education in the last two decades, including the Illinois Educational Reform Act of 1985, the Illinois Task Force on School Finance in 1993, and the Governor' Commission on Education Funding in 1996; Senator Maitland has been particularly outspoken about the need for funding equity; and

WHEREAS, Senator Maitland's membership on committees, his work with organizations and his honors - local, State and national - are too numerous to list; he is held in the highest esteem by his colleagues from both parties; for 23 years, he was the senator from central Illinois, but his legacy of excellence and commitment to the greater good has made Illinois a better place for all its citizens; and

WHEREAS, Illinois Route 9 runs through Senator Maitland's hometown, Bloomington; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that the portion of Illinois Route 9 commencing at the east boundary of Bloomington and ending at the west boundary of Danvers, Ill. be designated the John W. Maitland, Jr. Highway; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is requested to erect appropriate plaques or signs giving notice to the John W. Maitland, Jr. Highway; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Illinois Secretary of Transportation and to Senator John W. Maitland, Jr.