HR0987 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0987 LRB103 43735 MST 77146 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Illinois State Archives Director David Joens on his retirement after 20 years as director and 35 years in state government and public service; and

WHEREAS, David Joens is the son of Alan I. and Betty H. Joens, the husband of Mona B. Martin, and the father of Benjamin Alan Joseph Joens and is a fifth generation resident of the State of Illinois, who attended Illinois public schools from kindergarten at Pershing Grade School in Joliet to his Ph.D. in Illinois History at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale; and

WHEREAS, David Joens served two years in the United States Army, was a reporter for the Sun newspaper in Lisle, served as an intern and a press secretary for the Illinois Senate Democratic staff for six years, worked at the University of Illinois at Springfield Legislative Studies Center for four years, and worked on the Illinois Secretary of State's Programs and Policy staff for four years; and

WHEREAS, David Joens was appointed by Secretary of State Jesse White in 2004 to serve as the Director of the Illinois State Archives, making him the fifth director of the archives in its 103-year history, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Margaret Cross Norton, LeRoy DePuy, Ted Cassady, and John Daly; and

WHEREAS, David Joens, during his tenure at the Illinois State Archives, modernized that office's micrographics section, increased the capacity of its records center by one-third, moved its public finding aids from paper to a state of the art on-line system, added numerous indexes and records to the archives' website, instituted an intern program that provided an entry point for young professional archivists to join the Illinois State Archives, and created the on-line exhibit, "The 100 Most Valuable Documents at the Illinois State Archives", which offers a brief history of the state using primary documents; and

WHEREAS, David Joens helped secure more than $1 million in grant funding for the Illinois State Archives and its advisory board and established a now 14-year-old award winning re-grant program, which uses federal grant money to fund archival projects at small, underserved Illinois historical museums, libraries, and archives and provide scholarships and free classes in archival studies to Illinois archivists; and

WHEREAS, David Joens served on numerous boards and commissions as director of the Illinois State Archives, including both the Downstate and Cook County Local Records Commissions, as chair of the State Records Commission, as chair of the Illinois State Flag Commission, as a member of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the Illinois Bicentennial Commission, the Route 66 Centennial Commission, and the Underground Railroad Task Force; and

WHEREAS, David Joens was an active member of the National Council of State Archivists, including serving two terms on its board of directors, and was an active member in numerous organizations that promoted Illinois history, including the Illinois State Historical Society, where he is a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the Old State Capitol Foundation, the Abraham Lincoln Association, the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the Illinois Heritage Association, the Chicago Metro History in Education Center, the Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield, and the Chicago Area Archivists; and

WHEREAS, David Joens has a deep and abiding love for Illinois, authoring numerous scholarly journal and popular history articles about all aspects of Illinois history, two Almanac of Illinois Politics, and the book, "From Slave to State Legislator, John W. E. Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate David Joens, a true son of Illinois, on his retirement after 20 years as Director of the Illinois State Archives and 35 years of public service to the people of the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to David Joens and his family as a symbol of our respect and esteem.