Full Text of SR1238 102nd General Assembly
SR1238 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of J. Michael "Mike" Zimmers, who passed | 4 | | away on October 5, 2022; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers was born in Chicago to William F. | 6 | | and Dorothy L. (Meeks) Zimmers on October 15, 1949; he | 7 | | graduated from Vienna High School in 1967 and earned his | 8 | | bachelor's degree at MacMurray College in 1971, where he was | 9 | | MVP and basketball captain his senior year; he married Nancy | 10 | | Severa at St. Wenceslaus Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on | 11 | | August 3, 1974; he received his master's degree in educational | 12 | | administration from the University of Illinois Springfield in | 13 | | 1991; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers began his teaching career as a | 15 | | behavior disorders middle school teacher in Park Ridge from | 16 | | 1974 to 1977; he moved to Springfield and worked as a behavior | 17 | | disorders middle school teacher for 13 years at | 18 | | Washington/Feitshans and Grant Middle Schools; he also coached | 19 | | girls' and boys' basketball and track; he began his | 20 | | administrative career as an assistant principal and athletic | 21 | | director at Washington and Jefferson Middle Schools for 15 | 22 | | years from 1990 to 2005; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers served as principal at Jefferson | 2 | | Middle School from 2005 to 2008, where he started the first | 3 | | gender-based education program in Springfield and introduced | 4 | | the nationally recognized Behavior Intervention Support Team | 5 | | (BIST), a program still used in Springfield schools; in 2009, | 6 | | he was recruited to work as a managing principal for three | 7 | | years; he retired in 2011; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers ran for Springfield School Board | 9 | | #186 in 2013 and served over nine years as a member; he served | 10 | | for three years as board president and for three years as vice | 11 | | president; he was active on the Facilities Planning Committee | 12 | | and the city-wide Keep Kids in School effort every fall, to | 13 | | encourage immunizations; he also served with the One Sangamon | 14 | | Schools group, which organized a countywide school tax | 15 | | referendum that successfully passed a sales tax increase in | 16 | | 2018, benefiting nine county school districts; he was | 17 | | particularly pleased to be concluding his service on the board | 18 | | as the first major renovation projects for Springfield schools | 19 | | from that referendum were being completed this year and so | 20 | | many more were underway; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers' community activities include | 22 | | service as a classroom volunteer at Enos Elementary School, a | 23 | | reader for Real Men Read, and as a long-time member of the | 24 | | Interview Committee for the Physician Pipeline Preparatory |
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| 1 | | Program, a joint program with the SIU School of Medicine; he | 2 | | also volunteered for the United Way Education Vision Team, the | 3 | | Rotary International-Sunrise Chapter (past president), the | 4 | | Cherry Hills Homeowners Association (past president), the | 5 | | MacMurray College Alumni Board (past president), the Race | 6 | | Unity Council, and the Central Illinois Food Bank; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers' professional affiliations include | 8 | | the Council for Exceptional Children, the Springfield | 9 | | Principals Association (past president), the Springfield | 10 | | Education Association, the Illinois Education Association, and | 11 | | the National Education Association; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers was a long-time supporter of the | 13 | | Springfield Public Schools Foundation; he was in the process | 14 | | of establishing a new fund to support local Springfield school | 15 | | teachers, the Mike Zimmers Teacher Professional Development | 16 | | Fund, also known as the Mike Z Teacher Fund; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers was presented with the Bob Goldman | 18 | | Friend of Education award by the Springfield Education | 19 | | Association in April of 2022; he loved visiting schools, | 20 | | listening to administrators, going into classrooms, talking | 21 | | with teachers, interacting with students, helping with parent | 22 | | requests, serving as head timer for track meets, cheering at | 23 | | the City Tournament, and many other activities; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan; he | 2 | | enjoyed games at Wrigley Field and Sloan Park in Mesa, | 3 | | Arizona; he enjoyed working out at and supporting the | 4 | | Springfield Y, gardening and keeping his many bird feeders | 5 | | filled, and walking the family's Westie and his best buddy, | 6 | | Duffy; in 2014, he was named to MacMurray College's Athletic | 7 | | Hall of Fame, where he held the all-time single season rebound | 8 | | record; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers was preceded in death by his parents | 10 | | and his brother, Eric S. Zimmers; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Mike Zimmers is survived by his wife, Nancy; his | 12 | | daughter, Layne A. Zimmers (Lori Smith); his cousins, David A. | 13 | | Allbritten, Trina Kozer, Michael Accomondo, and Lisa | 14 | | (Accomondo) Keller; his extended family, including Nancy's | 15 | | sisters and their spouses, Sidney and Larry Lutz, Sara and | 16 | | Duane Tack, and Stacy (the late Dave) Martin; and numerous | 17 | | nieces and nephews and their children; therefore, be it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 19 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 20 | | J. Michael "Mike" Zimmers and extend our sincere condolences | 21 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 22 | | it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Mike Zimmers as an expression of our | 3 | | deepest sympathy.
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