—————— CERTIFICATION: ——————
The Investment That Pays!
By John Beaman
All of us are looking for a good investment. The high stakes corporate acquisitions player, the stock market investor
and the housewife searching for food,
clothing or appliances all have one thing
in common — they want the highest return possible on their investment. Their
investment may involve expenditures of
money, time or anxiety but it is ultimately judged by the payoff or return on investment (ROI). The return on investment is often directly related to the level
of risk. Generally the higher the level of
risk, the greater the payback. However,
high levels of risk carry a correspondingly greater risk of failure. The optimum
investment would have a high payback
accompanied by a low level of risk. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION is just
such an investment to the leisure services
practitioner.
The National Certification Plan for
leisure service professionals contains two
main components: 1. education and work
experience qualifications that must be
met to initially become certified and
2. continuing education requirements that
must be satisfied to maintain certification.
Another important factor is that participation in the National Certification
Plan is totally voluntary. As a result,
some qualified practitioners have said
"no" to certification. Reasons such as
costs, lack of time or limited value have
been given for this non-participation.
Perhaps those practitioners omitted some
of the information when weighing this investment called certification. These non-participants may be missing an excellent
investment with low time, money and
anxiety costs plus low risk, yet one which
produces a good ROI.
The Investment Costs
The costs of investment are two fold: first, the cost of initial certification followed by the cost of maintaining certification. The initial certification costs are
typical of most professions — the price
paid to attain a prescribed level of education and work experience. Although the
acquisition of this education and experience takes time, the education and work
experience required for the National
Certification Plan is actually less stringent
than many professions. The initial certification also requires a minimal investment of time in filling out the required
forms and submitting the necessary documentation. A processing fee of $40.00 is
required and although some may feel the
fee is high, examination of other professional organizations shows the fee is a
bargain price for having a national body
certify you as a professional!
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A certified leisure professional must show evidence
of acquiring 2 CEU's (20
hours) or more of quality
continuing education during each two year period
in order to maintain
certification.
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The major cost of the investment for
most is related to the cost of maintaining certification. The initial certification
is valid for a two year period. A certified
leisure professional must show evidence
of acquiring 2 CEU's (20 hours) or more
of quality continuing education during
each two year period in order to maintain certification. A $35.00 processing
fee is also required.
The costs involved in maintaining certification have resulted in some practitioners failing to attain the necessary
continuing education to maintain their
certification. Some of the reasons given
for their failure include "The fees are too
high", "No money available for continuing education", "Not enough qualifying
continuing education opportunities available", "I am a professional with or without certification and do not need certification to force me to pursue continuing
education".
Are the costs involved in the pursuit of
quality continuing education mandated
by the Certification Plan really too
onerous? Let's check out the costs.
1. Money: $35.00 processing fee —
(only $17.50 per year).
2. Money: Continuing Education program participant fees — a variable
cost dependant on the educational
session. An average may be $200.00-$300.00 per year.
3. Time: 2 CEU's of continuing education — 10 hours per year plus
travel time (1/2 of 1% of the total
work time in a year based on a 40
hour per week work year).
Examination of the costs suggests that
the cost of Certification mandated continuing education is minimal to the professional and/or the employer.
The Return on Your Investment
Your investment in time, money and
anxiety is minimal but what is the payback? First and foremost is the national
stamp of approval recognizing you as a
qualified leisure professional. Certification is a label often used in our society
to signal quality. We can tell our family,
employers and clientele that we are professionals but the National Certification
Plan is the only vehicle that exists whereby a leisure practitioner's professionalism
can be certified by an impartial national
third party.
Some tangible benefits may include the
fact that in a tight job market, certification may help you obtain a job. In litigation, certification may be one way of
establishing your qualifications. Certification may also be an excellent marketing tool to help establish the concept of
quality for your agency. Auto mechanics,
accountants and exercise instructors are
examples of disciplines which use certification as a marketing tool. Why are
leisure service agencies not using cer-
(Continued on page 10)
Illinois Parks and Recreation
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8
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March/April 1989
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Certification
(Continued from page 8)
tification in their marketing?
The second major payback of the Certification Plan results from the continuing education requirement. Professionals
can become stagnant if they don't seek
to continually pursue continuing education. Continuing education gives you
the chance to modernize your skills,
expand your skills or learn totally new
skills. This improvement in skills could
lead to further responsibilities and possible promotion. The practitioner benefits
but most importantly, the agency and
clientele benefit from having employees
with improved or expanded knowledge
and skills. Continuing education is an
investment in the future of both the professional and the agency.
Some argue that they will pursue their
continuing education with or without the
Certification Plan. This is somewhat true
but reality has shown that when our work
schedules are hectic, continuing education is one of those things that slips to the
back burner. Is this fair to our clientele
or to ourselves? The Certification Program helps keep the leisure services
practitioner focused on their continued
growth as a professional.
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Certification is a label
often used in our society
to signal quality. Why are leisure service
agencies not using certification in their marketing?
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Take the challenge of professionalism! Make an investment requiring
minimal blood, sweat and tears. Make an
investment that helps establish your professionalism and guides your continued
growth. Join the leaders in the leisure
services field.
The following is a list of the professionals currently certified through the
Illinois Park and Recreation Certification Board and included on the national
roster of certified professionals. We congratulate all those on the list.
Information about the Illinois Park
and Recreation Certification Plan can
be obtained by calling the IPRA office
at (312) 991-2820.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: John
Beaman is Director of Parks and
Recreation at Schiller Park and Recreation Department in Schiller Park
and served as chairman of the IPR
Certification Board for two consecutive years, 1987-1988.
Certified Professionals
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Rod Aiken
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Daniel D. Brown
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Cheryl Loudon Deom
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Daniel C. Gibble
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Sarah P. Holcombe
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James C. Albritton
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George H. Bryant, Jr.
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Dorothea DiGuido
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Arthur A. Gill
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Mary Jayne Holley
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William T. Alden
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Ewen Bryden
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Ronald E. Diehl
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Wendy L. Gismondi
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Gary Hopfinger
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Roger W. Allen
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Mary E. Burkee
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Gayle Dixon
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Michael J. Glabinski
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Heather J. Hoppe-Theiszmann
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Barbara Altwies
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Eric E. Burns
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Janet M. Dolan
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Laura Lynn Glazier
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Cheryl N. Horvath
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Sharon P. Anderson
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Cynthia N. Capek
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Judith Dolan Mendelson
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Cheryl Ann Gordon
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Joan S. Horvath-Kruger
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Gerard I. Armstrong
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Julie R. Caporusso
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Dick Dooley
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Darlan Gordon
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Suzette L. Horyza
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Phyllis Arntzen
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Angelo J. Capulli
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Joe H. Doud
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William M. Grady
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Charles Hoscheit
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Cory Atwell
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Debbie Carlson
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John W. Downs
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Michael Grandy
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Duane S. Hosimer
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Dawn Marie Bacino
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Jan Carlson
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Peter C. Drogos
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Robert K. Gray
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Jeanne Hosier
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Mark E. Badasch
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Anne Elizabeth Carroll
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Robert Dunsmuir
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Ronald Greenberg
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Daniel J. Hotchkin
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Jerome Baer
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Jayne K. Carstens
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Patricia F. Eagleton
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Bob Greene
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John Hovde
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Gary Baker
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Kim Cashmore
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Barbara L. Eaton
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Daniel J. Griffin
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Craig D. Hubert
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Chuck Balling
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Allen Cassady
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James C. Eby
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Steve Grimes
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Suzette Huckstadt
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Gary Balling
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Kathleen Cassens
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Glen A. Ekey
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Richard Grodsky
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Nancy Hudson
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Joseph J. Bannon
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Vincent Castellanoz
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Matthew L. Ellmann
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James R. Grove
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William E. Hughes
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Jill Bartholomew
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Cheryl Ann Cater
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Evonne Marie Elsenbroek
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James H. Gruenwald
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Daniel L. Hypke
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Ginny Bateman
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Amy L. Charlesworth
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Robert Ems
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Linda L. Gryziecki
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Frederick E. Jackson
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Reid Bateman
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Eric Lee Christensen
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James B. Ensign
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Ronald J. Gunter
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Caroline Margaret Jacobsen
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Bruce E. Baum
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Andy Clark
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Robert D. Espeseth
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Fred P. Hall
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R. Jarecki
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John H. Beaman
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Virginia M. Clark
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Michael P. Evans
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R. C. Hallberg
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Richard E. Johns
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Larry Belknap
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Edward C. Clift
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George C. Fink
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Jerry Handlon
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Mary Ann Johnson
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Ned F. Bell
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Penny Sue Collins
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Karen Finnerty
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Rita M. Hardy
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Sandra Lynne Johnson
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Debra Lynn Belleville
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J. Christopher Comstock
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Elsa Marie Fischer
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David W. Haring
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Annie Lee Jones
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Rick Bemm
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Douglas G. Congdon
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Kenneth Fiscke
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Steve Hartman
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Judy A. Julison
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Tom Benefiel
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Thomas E. Connolly
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Rita Kay Fletcher
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Carl P. Hartmann
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Peg Kallio
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James L. Berousek
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Karen Correll
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Gary T. Foiles
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Edward Harvey
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Thomas M. Kalousek
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Thomas Joseph Blackburn
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Brenda Sue Cresap
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Thomas F. Foley
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Patricia Hayes
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Karen D. Kamradi
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Ronald W. Blemler
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Kathleen Cunningham
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Keith Frankland
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Jerry Hayner
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Donald W. Kappel
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Richard M. Blust
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John Curran
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Dan W. Frase
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Kerry Patrick Hays
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Steven Karoliussen
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Dennis Bokemeier
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Betty L. Currie
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Laurie L. Freeman
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John L. Hedges
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Kathleen E. Kelley
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Nancie J. Boland
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Peggy Ann Curtis
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Susan Friend
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David M. Heffernan
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Caroline E. Kelling
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Rick Bold
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Sue Curtis
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Therese M. Fritzmann
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Paul E. Heinkel
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Kevin T. Kendrigan
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Gregory B. Bott
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James T. DaRosa
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Michael A. Fugiel
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Michael E. Henderson
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Roger Key
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Jeff Boubelik
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Kathy Sue Daichendt
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Carolyn S. Garofalo
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Cheryl Ann Henerson
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Karen A. Kiester
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Cheri A. Bourbon
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Kathryn P. Danielson
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Deborah A. Garrett
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Patricia W. Hensley
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Gary Koren
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William A. Brauer
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Frank DeAtley
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Ronald N. Gbur
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Ann C. Hildreth
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Robert Kotula
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James O. Breen
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Dennis J. DeLance
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William C. Geihsler
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Jane Hodgkinson
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Kimberly A. Kovac
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Mary Brosius
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Scott R. Dell
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Jack M. Giambrone
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Nancy Hohs
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Jerry Krewer
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Illinois Parks and Recreation
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March/April 1989
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Thomas Kruse
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William C. Neumann
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Michael S. G. Schiller
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John M. Waytula
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Denise R. Riederer
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Ronald Kubicki
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Dan Newport
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Dan Schimmel
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Larry R. Wheeler
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Bradley K. Salman
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Michael Kudia
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Dave Novak
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Tim Schmidt
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Thomas C. White
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Donald H. Scheltens
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Greg Kuhs
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Don Nuenthel
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James R. Schneckenburger
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George Whitehead
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Laura Seri
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Robert Kunkel
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Carol O'Brien
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Kay J. Schneegas
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Sandra Whitmore
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Vickey C. Weber
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Betsy Kutska
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Cynthia O'Connor
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Mark Schneiderman
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Ann Wilkins
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Ken Kutska
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Gerald M. Oakes
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Stephen C. Scholten
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Kerry Willey
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Sharon T. Labak
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Ray Ochromowicz
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David Schroeder
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Keith D. Williams
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Certified Technicians
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Joel S. Lammers
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Denise Olsen
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Susan L. Schroeder
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Chris A. Wilsman
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Mary E. Beaver
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Robert Lashbrook
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Robert Orsi
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Joe Schultz
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John W. Wilson
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Beverly Jean Carlson
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Dawn E. Lemme
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Daniel Otto
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Terry G. Schwartz
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Linda Wiltberger
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Denis Craig Chapan
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Jack Lepper
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James A. Pacanowski
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Patricia M. Sergeant
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Donald J. Winh
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Tracy Dalton
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Jeff Levy
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Thomas E. Palmer
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Tim Sexton
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Jim Wiseman
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Mary Beth Flagg
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Janice M. Linduska
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Margaret Partak
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Karen Shannon
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Marvin Wolf
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Barbara Gardner
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Thomas J. Lippert
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Rich Partak
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James R. Sharp
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Brent J. Wolff
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Diane D. Grais
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Joann Lodine
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Jerry E. Pask
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Jennifer B. Schoellhorn
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Max L. Woods
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Alien G. Helms
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Mary J. Loos
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Steve Patterson
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Jeannine Shotas
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Jay D. Young
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Marie H. Inzcauskis
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Ronald Lorenzo
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Arlene G. Perry
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Mitchell Shulich
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Raul Zaidivar
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Pat Jacobs
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Thomas G. Lovern
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Stephen D. Persinger
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Thomas J. Shuster
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Richard J. Zarr
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Ronald Jenkins
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Michael S. Lucchesi
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Janice P. Peterson
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Charles J. Siegler
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James M. Zawlocki
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Margaret O. Kinkade
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Teena Mackey
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Greg Petfy
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Gary Silkaitis
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Edward A. Zeienka
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Virginia M. Pizzotti
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Joyce Magsamen
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Jack F. Philbrick
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Mary A. Simonis
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Roger L. Zimmerman
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Steve D. Reggi
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Tony Malcak
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Randall Phillips
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Billy Sim Sisler
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JoAn M. Zimmermann
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Kirk Reimer
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Thomas A. Mammoser
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Fred Ploegman, jr.
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Connie Skibbe
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Ann S. Zito
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Mark D. Runyon
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Janet Manson
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Steven S. Plumb
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Carole A. Sluis
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Anthony J. Zito
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Debra J. Scinto
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David Markworth
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Steve Pohlman
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Pam Smalarz
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Judith Zopp
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Donna Jean Strum
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Mike Martino
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Theresa Tolle Pohlman
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Brian T, Smith
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John Henry Thiele, Jr.
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Alex J. Marx
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Mick Pope
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Kennit J. Smith
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James R. Walker
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Gerard P. McCord
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Peter T. Pope
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Cindy A. Snyder
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Nancy H. Waters
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Diane McCray
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Freddy A. Porps
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Donna Soltanek
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Philip Jay Wieczorek
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Carol A. McCreary
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Robert A. Porter
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Sue Spangler
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Vivienne C. Williams
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Liza McElroy
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Terrence Porter
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Michael S. Spencer
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Danelle Wonderlick
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Mark M. McKinnon
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Joyce L. Pottinger
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Robert Spencer
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Certified
Provisional
Professionals
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Mary Pat McNicholas
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Todd D. Pratt
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Thomas R. Spika
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Jani Lynn Arlington
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Jeffrey D. McClard
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Susan Price
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Diane Stanke
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Patti Jo Boehm
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Leslie S. Merema
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Cathy Puchalski
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Dennis R. Stein
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David C. Brown
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Pete Merkel
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Bob Pushee
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Theodore R. Steiskal, Jr.
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Laura J. Brown
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Jan D. Mersmann
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Richard Pyle
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Michael P. Slerba
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Thomas G. Buban
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Greg Meyer
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Robert D. Quill
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William H. Sturgis
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Stephen L. Cherveny
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Certified Professionals
With Therapeutic
Specialty
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Steven Meyer
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Randy Ralston
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Paul V. Swanson
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Michael G. Clark
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Barbara Alldridge
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Sue A. Micklevitz
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Eugene A. Rathje
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Charles J. Szoke
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David E. Cooley
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Charlene Kay Basham
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James W. Miller
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Linda Reesor
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Tracy Ann Taylor
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William M. Donnell
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Mary Berman
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Jennifer Miller
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Randy Reopelle
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Frederick C. Thompson
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Geri L. Estvanik
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Myrna Haimowitz Besley
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Lois E. Miller
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Greg Repede
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Robert F. Toalson
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Diane E. Eustis
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Marianne Birko
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Lori Jean Mills
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Keith Rich
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William S. Tookey
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Jayne R. Glade
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Fred Boch
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Nancy J. Miner
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Thomas J. Richardson
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Terry Turnquist
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Nancy Lee Harris
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Vera Hesse
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David W. Mogle
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Walter C. Righton
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Lois B. Tyznik
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Robert T. Holcombe
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Ruth Ann Iwanski
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Catherine Ann Morava
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Alexander L. Roberts
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Donald P. VanArsdale
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Joni A. Jordt
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Shelley A. Johnson
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Patrick B. Morley
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James Rock
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Mary E. VanArsdale
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Elizabeth S. Kessler
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Martha T. Judge
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Ray Morrill
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Robert W. Roiek
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John M. Vann
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Heather Ann Krupke
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Donna McCauley
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Patrick L. Moser
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Thomas E. Rowe
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Robert Vaughan
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Judy Annette Lees
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Kathy Mulligan
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Gayle L. Mountcastle
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Betty Russell
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Marilee Verdo
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Robert M. O'Shaughnessy
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Carolyn Mallaney Nagle
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John C. Muno
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Michael Ryiko
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Ralph J. Voipe
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Cheryl Mae Olson
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Robert B. Pindar
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Linda Brougham Naatz
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Gregory G. Sagen
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Ralph D. Voris
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Randwick L. Osborn
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William J. Popelar
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Tom Naatz
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Mary E. Sagen
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Trudy Lynn Wakeman
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Karen Ann Parsetich
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Mari Patricia Schager
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Deborah D. Nelson
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Sevan Sarkisian
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Michael Scott Walaszek
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Brian Alien Penticoff
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Shelley S. Schultz
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Rudy Nelson
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Walter Schamber
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Richard Walker
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Joan M. Prazuch
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Shelley Thurston
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Suzanne P. Nelson
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Kathleen C. Scheltens
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Gary M. Watson
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Christine M. Purpura
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Marilyn F. Vogus
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John Nemerovski
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Gary Schiefer
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Linda Watts
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Nancy Jo Radtke
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Illinois Parks and Recreation
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11
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March/April 1989
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