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92_SR0434
LRB9216860RHrh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 express their sincere condolences to the family and friends
4 of James W. Guilinger, who recently passed away; and
5 WHEREAS, James W. Guilinger was born in 1930 and raised
6 on a farm in Warren County; he attended rural elementary
7 schools and graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1947; and
8 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger attended Western Illinois State
9 Teachers College at Macomb and transferred to the University
10 of Illinois, where he graduated with honors and a B.S. degree
11 in 1951; after graduation, he taught agriculture at
12 Williamsfield High School for 15 years, bringing the Future
13 Farmers of America chapter to a National Gold Emblem rating
14 during his third year; in 1958 he received his master's
15 degree from the University of Illinois; and
16 WHEREAS, James W. Guilinger married his high school
17 sweetheart, Carol, who retired as Administrative Vice
18 President of the National Bank and Trust Company of Sycamore
19 in 1996; and
20 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger left teaching in 1966 to serve as
21 Executive Secretary of the McDonough County Farm Bureau in
22 Macomb; in 1967 he accepted a position teaching Agriculture
23 at Sycamore High School, where he remained until his
24 retirement on July 1, 1988; his tenure at Sycamore High
25 School was challenging, coupled with great community and
26 administrative support in creative new directions in
27 agricultural education and Future Farmers of America
28 achievements; and
29 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger and his students received many
30 honors, including 33 consecutive National Gold Emblem Chapter
31 Awards, 69 American Degree winners, 268 State Future Farmers
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1 of America Degree winners, 25 first place Bankers Plaques for
2 number 1 chapter in Illinois, 30 State Future Farmers of
3 America Foundation winners, 5 major State officers (all Vice
4 Presidents), and 17 National Gold Emblem BOAC awards; he also
5 received the Honorary State Future Farmers of America Degree
6 in 1954 and the Honorary American Future Farmers of America
7 Degree in 1966; and
8 WHEREAS, After his retirement from teaching, Mr.
9 Guilinger worked as a Customer Relations Representative for
10 DicKen Grain Corp; on April 15, 1989, he was employed as the
11 Agricultural Education Coordinator of Facilitating
12 Coordination in Agricultural Education headquartered at the
13 Regional Office of Education in Rantoul; since his retirement
14 from that position in 1999, he was an active member of the
15 Illinois Committee for Agricultural Education, the Illinois
16 Leadership Council for Agricultural Education, as well as an
17 unpaid activist and lobbyist for Illinois Agricultural
18 Education; and
19 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger is a life member of many
20 organizations, including the NVATA, AVA, IVA, NEA, National
21 Future Farmers of America Alumni, and the National Young
22 Farmers Institute; he was very active in these organizations,
23 serving in many executive offices on the national and State
24 level during his career; and
25 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger was Secretary of the Sycamore
26 Farmers Junior Fair Board, Chairperson Selective Service
27 Board No. 46-DeKalb County, a member of the Sycamore United
28 Methodist Church, Warren-Henderson County Farm Bureau, Gamma
29 Sigma Delta, Life Member-University of Illinois Agricultural
30 Alumni, and advisory committee member of the Chicago High
31 School for Agricultural Sciences; and
32 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger received numerous awards,
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1 including the Illinois and National Future Farmers of America
2 Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award in 1979, the IVA Teacher
3 of the Year Award in 1981, the Region IV AVA Teacher of the
4 Year Award in 1981, the AVA Teacher of the Year Award in
5 1981, the IVA Citation Meritorious Service in 1984, the AVA
6 Ships Citation (50th honoree) in 1987, the AVA Meritorious
7 Service Award in 1988, the AVA Arch of Fame Award in 1995,
8 the Illinois Distinguished Service Award in 1996, and the
9 IVAT Honorary Life Membership in 1999; and
10 WHEREAS, Mr. Guilinger will be remembered as a dedicated
11 and committed educator to thousands of students nationally
12 whose contributions in the field of Agricultural Education
13 will be difficult to surpass; through his initiative and
14 ideas, there has been numerous advancements in farming
15 technology in addition to the new wave of young farmers he
16 has cultivated throughout the years; therefore, be it
17 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
18 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
19 all who knew him, the death of James W. Guilinger of
20 Roseville, Illinois; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22 presented to Mrs. Carol Guilinger with our sincere
23 condolences.