Lewis University to Present Honorary Degrees to Philip Rock, Banker Kevin Reardon at Commencement Ceremonies
Lewis University will award honorary degrees at Commencement Ceremonies on Sunday, May 21, to Hon. Philip J. Rock, chairman of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Kevin T. Reardon, chairman of the board and CEO of First National Bank of Joliet.
May ceremonies will begin with a Baccalaureate Mass at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, offered by Most Rev. Joseph L. Imesch, Bishop of Joliet. The liturgy will be followed by a continental breakfast for graduates and their guests and a brunch for graduate students. Commencement will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by a reception for graduates and guests on the University Green. All events will be held on the Lewis main campus on Route 53 in Romeoville.
Brother James Gaffney, FSC, President of Lewis University, will congratulate each graduate.
Philip J. Rock resumed his full time law practice after serving as President of the Illinois Senate and Majority Leader longer than anyone in the history of the state. First elected to the Senate in 1970, Rock served the communities of Oak Park, Elmwood Park and Chicago's west and northwest sides.
As an Illinois political leader, he was responsible for the successful enactment of more than 450 new laws, ranging from the original Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, to Tax Increment Financing, an innovative financing tool for local governments; from the State's I SEARCH (missing children's) law to the Illinois Tax Amnesty program, and hundreds more.
A member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education since 1996, he is the primary sponsor and champion of the Philip J. Rock Center and School in Glen Ellyn, a residential school which provides services for deaf-blind individuals, ages 3-21.
Rock currently serves on the Board of Directors of Maryville, City of Youth, and is a member of West Suburban Health Services and the Oak Park Development Corporation. An expert in appellate law and practice, he is a partner at Rock, Fusco, & Garvey, Ltd. He has been admitted to practice in the U. S. Supreme Court, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the U. S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Former president and board member of the Illinois Bankers Association, Kevin Reardon joined the staff at the First National Bank of Joliet in 1961, became a vice president in 1968, was elected to the Board of Directors in 1975 and became President in 1976. He served as chairman of the board, president and CEO from 1983 to 1991 when he assumed his current position as chairman and CEO.
A community leader, Reardon is a member of the Board and Executive Committee for the Will County Center for Economic Development and the Bankers Club of Chicago.
He has served in various leadership and board capacities throughout Joliet and Will County, at agencies and organizations including the United Way of Will County, Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce, Guardian Angel Home, Kiwanis Club, George Werden Buck's Boy's Club, and Our Lady of Angels. He formerly was a member of the Administrative Council of the Cathedral of Saint Raymond in Joliet.
For more information, call (815) 836-5299.
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