On the recordOctober 18, 2000
Dear John, on behalf of the State of Illinois please accept our heartfelt gratitude for your extraordinary contributions during a lifetime of public service. On the occasion of your retirement from the U.S. Congress, it is fair to recognize and applaud what you have accomplished for your constituents, for people within Illinois and throughout the United States. It is also not an exaggeration to highlight the fact that your leadership in human rights and on environmental issues has benefited people around the world. You are a strong advocate for a thoughtful Federal appropriations process, a clean environment and adequate funding for the arts. You have earned an influential role among the green Republicans to fight for the Nation's environmental interests in Congress. And you are only one of five House members ever to be appointed to the board of directors of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Source
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