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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF JAMES B. (JIM) BURNS
WHEREAS, Jim Burns, long-time Inspector General for the Secretary of State, died Friday, December 11, 2020 at the age of 75. Burns took the post as federal investigators were continuing their Operation Safe Road corruption probe of the office under George Ryan. Secretary of State Jesse White described Burns as a "strong, visible and independent inspector general, and I am grateful for all he accomplished. Burns restored the public trust and changed the culture of the office. His legacy of honesty, fairness and transparency leaves an indelible mark on the secretary of state's office and the state of Illinois. As a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Burns worked tirelessly in his role as inspector general to help restore integrity and eliminate all forms of institutionalized corruption and wrongdoing in the secretary of state's office;" and
WHEREAS, born in Quincy and raised in McLeansboro (downstate), Illinois, Burns was an all-state basketball player who led the McLeansboro High School team to a fourth-place finish in the 1962 State Championship. He then played for Northwestern University from 1964-1967 where he led the team in scoring all three seasons. He was both an All-American and Academic All-American in 1967 and was All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten in 1966 and 1967. He is still Northwestern's 12th all-time scorer, 3rd in scoring average, 10th in both field goals and free throws made, and 6th in points in a game (40). He was inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992; and
WHEREAS, after college, Burns was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the fourth round (34th pick overall) of the 1967 National Basketball Association draft. He played three games as a shooting guard with the Bulls during the 1967-68 season with fellow McLeansboro native Jerry Sloan before joining the Dallas Chaparrals (1967-68) in the American Basketb...
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