Bill Text: IL HR0646 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates Kevin J. Bell on the occasion of being named to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2009-10-14 - Resolution Adopted [HR0646 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-HR0646-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Kevin J. Bell on | ||||||
4 | the occasion of being named to serve as Chair of the Board of | ||||||
5 | Directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Kevin Bell is a New York native who was literally | ||||||
7 | raised on the grounds of the world-famous Bronx Zoo; his | ||||||
8 | family's house was located behind the reptile house, where they | ||||||
9 | lived while his father served as the zoo's curator of birds; | ||||||
10 | and
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11 | WHEREAS, Being raised in a culture of deep commitment to | ||||||
12 | wildlife, Kevin Bell has devoted his entire life to | ||||||
13 | conservation; in 1976, at the age of 23, he was hired to serve | ||||||
14 | as Lincoln Park Zoo's curator of birds, making him the youngest | ||||||
15 | curator in the zoo's history; in 1993, he was selected to serve | ||||||
16 | as the zoo's director; and
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17 | WHEREAS, At Lincoln Park Zoo, Kevin Bell was instrumental | ||||||
18 | in leading the zoo's $125 million capital campaign, which | ||||||
19 | created new, state-of-the-art, award-winning animal habitats | ||||||
20 | and developed an endowment to secure the zoo for future | ||||||
21 | generations; during his tenure, he has overseen the creation of | ||||||
22 | one of the leading zoo-based conservation and science programs |
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1 | in the country, with ongoing conservation efforts locally and | ||||||
2 | around the world; his most recent undertaking, "Nature | ||||||
3 | Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo", is slated to open in the spring | ||||||
4 | of 2010; the Nature Boardwalk is a $12 million ecological pond | ||||||
5 | restoration effort designed to create a natural ecosystem in | ||||||
6 | the middle of a city where people can immerse themselves in | ||||||
7 | nature; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Kevin Bell currently serves as President and CEO | ||||||
9 | of Lincoln Park Zoo and is an active leader within the AZA | ||||||
10 | community; his fellow zoo directors, conservationists, | ||||||
11 | scientists, and other AZA professional members first voted for | ||||||
12 | him to serve on the AZA Board of Directors in 1999; he was then | ||||||
13 | elected to the position of Chair by the AZA membership, which | ||||||
14 | is comprised of 6,000 members representing 217 accredited zoos | ||||||
15 | and aquariums; as Chair, he will lead the 13-member Board of | ||||||
16 | Directors for one year and will be involved in every aspect of | ||||||
17 | the national organization, including strategic planning, | ||||||
18 | accreditation, ethics, animal welfare, and conservation; and
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19 | WHEREAS, The AZA's many accredited zoos and aquariums will | ||||||
20 | undoubtedly benefit from Kevin's extensive experience and | ||||||
21 | strong leadership; therefore, be it
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22 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
23 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
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1 | congratulate Kevin J. Bell on the occasion of being named to | ||||||
2 | serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of | ||||||
3 | Zoos and Aquariums and wish him continued success and happiness | ||||||
4 | in the future; and be it further
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5 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
6 | presented to Kevin Bell as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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