HR0963 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0963 LRB098 20274 MST 55993 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Jim Drozdz of Hamilton, who passed away on December 29, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz was born on January 23, 1960 in Chicago to James A. Drozdz and Joan M. (nee Moore) Brown; he graduated from Alan B. Shepard High School in Palos Heights and received his bachelor's degree in Law Enforcement in 1981 from Western Illinois University; he married Barbara Goodin on June 2, 1984 at St. Paul Church in Macomb; he received his master's degree from Western Illinois University in 1990, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and his Juris Doctor in 1992 from the Southern Illinois University School of Law and was admitted to practice before the Illinois courts; in 1999, he was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, and in 2004 he received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society; and

WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz served with the Illinois State Police from 1984 until 2004, when he was elected the State's Attorney for Hancock County; he was re-elected in 2008 and 2012; during his time with the Illinois State Police he served in many capacities, including as Executive Officer of the Division of Internal Investigation in Springfield, as the Henderson County Assistant State's Attorney, as an Adjunct Professor in the Law Enforcement and Justice Administration Department at Western Illinois University, as a Patrol Sergeant for District 14 in Macomb, and as a Research Fellow with the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Alexandria, Virginia; he also served as Special Assistant to the Illinois Attorney General and was a Legal Advisor to the Illinois State Police in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; he was a member of the National District Attorneys' Association and the Hancock County Bar Association; and

WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz was an active community member, serving as a paramedic for the Hancock County Ambulance Service and as a firefighter for the Hamilton Fire Department; he was a member and past President of the Carthage Kiwanis Club and former member of the Carthage Lions Club; he was on the Hancock County Republican Precinct Committee and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Carthage, where he served on the Parish Council; and

WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz enjoyed playing the bagpipes for area events and funerals; he liked body building, fitness training, traveling, semi-truck driving, and teaching Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Medical Technician classes; and

WHEREAS, Jim Drozdz is survived by his wife, Barbara; his father, James Drozdz; his mother and step-father, Joan and Gordon Brown; and his sister, Debra Reule; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Jim Drozdz, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Jim Drozdz as an expression of our deepest sympathy.