2016 -- S 3086

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LC006204

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING AND HONORING STATE LIBRARIAN TOM EVANS ON HIS

RETIREMENT AFTER TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EXEMPLARY AND DEVOTED

SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Paiva Weed, Ruggerio, Algiere, DiPalma, and Sosnowski

     Date Introduced: June 15, 2016

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, Mr. Tom Evans, State Librarian for the Rhode Island Secretary of State's

Office, is retiring after twenty-eight years of faithful service to our state. Mr. Evans is a beloved

fixture at the State House, widely admired for his vast breadth of knowledge about all things

related to Rhode Island civic affairs and Rhode Island history, and deeply appreciated for his

ability to find an answer to a vexing question in record speed; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Evans graduated from Chariho High School in 1982. He graduated from

the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor's degree in 1986, and attained a Master's degree in

Library Science from the University of Rhode Island in 1987. Shortly thereafter, he began

working at the State Library for the Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office as a Reference

Librarian. In 1990, he was appointed by then-Secretary of State Kathleen Connell to the post of

State Librarian; and

     WHEREAS, From the very beginning of his tenure at the State House, Tom Evans has

been a godsend to state legislators, state employees, and the general public, always ready with an

answer to a question about Rhode Island government and Rhode Island history, or able to find the

answer if extensive research was necessary. Additionally, his always calm demeanor and poised

presence was much appreciated by those caught in the throes of the often chaotic nature that is the

State House; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Evans has also served the State of Rhode Island since 1991, as a board

member of the Consortium of Rhode Island Academic and Research Libraries and the Rhode

Island Historical Society, and since 2006, as a Commission member of the Karla Harry

Commission on Libraries in Rhode Island. In his free time, Tom is an avid reader, a passionate

fan of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, enjoys travel and photography, and

loves doing home improvement projects in his house; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Evans' vast knowledge about all things Rhode Island and his tireless

work ethic will be sorely missed by all of his colleagues, all staff members working at the State

House, all members of the General Assembly, and by the many members of the general public

that have come to him over the years looking for, and getting, prompt answers to their questions;

now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby expresses its gratitude to Tom Evans for his twenty-eight years of meritorious and

distinguished service to our state and the citizens of Rhode Island. We furthermore wish him

continued success in all his future endeavors; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Tom Evans.

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