HR0478 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0478 LRB098 12521 GRL 46946 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Rob Dwyer on the occasion of his retirement as executive director of the Quincy Society of Fine Arts (QSFA) on June 30, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Rob Dwyer is a graduate of the University of California in Berkeley, Harvard Divinity School, and the University of Chicago's Arts Management Institute; and

WHEREAS, Rob Dwyer has worked for local arts councils for the past 40 years; in 1983, he was selected by the "Skip" Reiss' Arts Management magazine as the outstanding arts administrator in the United States for his work at the local arts council in Reno, Nevada; he has served as an Arts in Education panelist and national site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts and panelist for the Illinois Arts Council; he has also worked as a consultant for American Samoa's Department of Education, the Iowa Arts Council, the Indiana University Arts Management School, and the Illinois Arts Peers program; and

WHEREAS, Rob Dwyer has served as the executive director of the Quincy Society of Fine Arts since 1983; the Quincy Society of Fine Arts is recognized as the oldest volunteer arts organization in the United States; during his tenure, QSFA's member organizations have grown from 17 to nearly 65, while the organization's annual budget has increased from $98,000 to $1,200,000, with $879,640 in audited marketing services; and

WHEREAS, Rob Dwyer was instrumental in the creation of the Marion Gardner Jackson Trust Arts Fund, which has awarded over $400,000 to arts programs that could demonstrate a direct economic impact on the City of Quincy, such as the free Blues in the District concerts in Washington Park; the television and radio programs created under his leadership have generated over $15,000,000 of audited marketing support for all the arts in Quincy; he also helped create the Arts/Quincy Riverfest, Arts/Quincy Ball, Art$ Dollar$, In$tant Art$ Dollar$, Arts=Education, All-American Kids Awards, Arts Boosters, Arts/Quincy Magazine, Arts/Quincy Social Media, Annual Arts Calendar, Arts/Quincy E-BLASTS, and Forte'; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, Rob Dwyer received the Arts Education Service Award from the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education; in 1993, he was appointed as a Trustee of the Illinois Summer School for the Arts by Governor Jim Edgar; since 1983, the City of Quincy has won two Governor's Arts Awards from the Illinois Arts Council; and

WHEREAS, Following his retirement, Rob Dwyer plans to help the Quincy Society of Fine Arts with arts marketing services and help in the selection of a new executive director; he then plans to attend more arts events in Quincy and increase his volunteer arts activities; and

WHEREAS, There is considerable evidence that art makes for a better person; through Rob Dwyer's leadership, the arts have flourished and made the greater Quincy region a better place to live and raise families; and

WHEREAS, Rob Dwyer serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Rob Dwyer on the occasion of his retirement and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rob Dwyer as a symbol of our esteem and respect.