HR0053 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0053 LRB097 07615 KXB 47726 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Sergeant Barry Groesch of the Yorkville Police Department on his retirement; and

WHEREAS, He was born in Aurora and moved to Yorkville while he was in the 2nd grade; he graduated from Yorkville High School in 1978; and he attended Waubonsee Community College; and

WHEREAS, Deciding to not pursue college, he went to work for Barber-Greene, a factory that manufactured construction equipment; when he turned 21 years old he was offered a job with the Kendall County Sheriff's Department, where he worked for two and a half years before being recruited by the Yorkville Police Department; and

WHEREAS, The DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program started in the 1980s, and Kendall County began a countywide program, with Yorkville started their own program a year later; Sergeant Groesch became a DARE prevention teacher soon after, working with elementary and middle school kids; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Groesch taught DARE classes over a 14-year period and became a statewide advocate of the program; he was appointed as president of the Illinois DARE Officers Association in 1997; he also served as the first school resource officer at Yorkville High School and later worked as the school resource officer at Yorkville Middle School; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his work with the Yorkville Police Department, he has also worked with the Boy Scouts, Kendall County TRIAD, the Citizens Police Academy, the Yorkville Clergy Association, and others; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Sergeant Barry Groesch on his retirement and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Sergeant Barry Groesch as a symbol of our respect and esteem.