HR0267 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0267 LRB094 11819 HSS 44443 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, George Gentes is the Music Department Chair-Director of Chorale Ensembles at Hoffman Estates High School; he will be retiring at the end of the 2004-2005 school year; and

WHEREAS, He grew up in Bloomington and graduated with a B.A. in music from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he met Kathleen, his wife of 32 years, who is also a music teacher; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Gentes taught for six years in Minnesota; he started teaching at Hoffman Estates High School in 1978 and has been there for 27 years; he is actively involved in the school and the community with his choirs and Madrigal Singers, an elite group of high school students which sings songs from the Renaissance; under his direction, the Madrigal Singers have performed at Stronghold Castle in Oregon, Illinois, for the past 24 years; and

WHEREAS, Locally, Mr. Gentes' choirs have performed at hospitals, retirement homes, village events, Rotary events, and many other locations; nationally, his choirs have performed in New York City, New Orleans, and St. Louis; internationally, he has been taking students to Europe for the past 28 years, performing in Denmark, Ireland, Amsterdam, France, Belgium, Sweden, and Mexico; and

WHEREAS, He is gifted with the ability to develop a rapport with students and to motivate them to perform at extremely high levels; he has always believed in sharing his choirs with the community, thereby teaching his students about the importance of giving back to the community; and

WHEREAS, He is the District Chair for Music, and he works closely with School District 54 and shares his talents and abilities with the junior high schools; he coordinates an annual District 211/District 54 choral concert and has worked with colleges throughout Illinois and Iowa; he has been the musical director for the spring musical for many years; and

WHEREAS, He is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educator's National Conference; in 1992, he was recognized as "Teacher of the Year" in District 211 and was awarded a certificate of merit by "Those Who Excel" in the State of Illinois; he has been elected to "Who's Who" among American Teachers numerous times; and in 2004, he was a recipient of the Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award; and

WHEREAS, His family includes 2 sons, Aaron and Jeff; Mr. Gentes is being honored at a retirement celebration on April 10, 2005; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate George Gentes on the occasion of his retirement, and we thank him for his many years and countless hours of devotion to music education at Hoffman Estates High School and in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Gentes as an expression of our deepest respect and esteem and with best wishes for a relaxing retirement.