[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 25 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO WIL BILLINGTON, TRUSTEE EMERITUS OF JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY 
                                COLLEGE

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                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 2010

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Wilbur 
``Wil'' Billington, a former trustee of Johnson County, Kansas, 
Community College [JCCC], who recently was honored by JCCC's board of 
trustees with the designation of ``trustee emeritus'', signifying an 
individual who demonstrated significant contributions to the college 
and the community as a trustee.
  As a former elected trustee of JCCC, I know Wil Billington and am 
pleased to have this opportunity to support his award and to share news 
of it with my colleagues. The JCCC recently issued a news release 
detailing Wil Billington's designation as ``trustee emeritus.'' I 
include it with this statement and I know that all House members join 
with me in celebrating this award, which is richly deserved by a 
Johnson Countian who has worked diligently in support of higher 
education and economic development in our community.

                 Billington Named JCCC Trustee Emeritus

       OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--At their meeting Jan. 21, the Johnson 
     County Community College board of trustees named Wilbur 
     ``Wil'' Billington as a trustee emeritus. The trustee 
     emeritus designation is intended to recognize former trustees 
     who demonstrated significant contributions to the college and 
     the community as a trustee.
       Billington was nominated by Terry A. Calaway, JCCC 
     president, and Ben Craig, a longtime supporter of JCCC, who 
     cited Billington's support of education in the state of 
     Kansas and in Johnson County. Billington is the second 
     trustee to receive emeritus recognition. The first was 
     Virginia Krebs, who was named trustee emeritus in October 
     2008. Billington will be honored in person at a future board 
     meeting.
       ``Wil Billington's vision as a trustee gave Johnson County 
     Community College a secure foundation on which to build,'' 
     Calaway said. ``Naming him as a trustee emeritus is a fitting 
     way to remember and honor his educational leadership.''
       From 1962 to 1968 Billington was a member and president of 
     the local board for School District No. 110, one of the 
     largest K-6 school districts in Johnson County before its 
     consolidation as part of the unified Shawnee Mission 
     district. As such, Billington was appointed to the Advisory 
     Council for Community Colleges that made recommendations to 
     the Kansas Board of Education for the creation of new 
     colleges under the Kansas Community College Act of 1965. He 
     served as chairman of the Master Planning Committee for Post-
     secondary Education in Kansas in the early 1970s.
       In Johnson County, Billington was asked by the county 
     commissioners to chair a committee that would study the 
     feasibility of creating a community college here. The group 
     published a written report unanimously recommending the 
     creation of such a college in Johnson County. Billington was 
     elected to the college's first board of trustees in 1967, 
     receiving the largest plurality of votes among approximately 
     30 candidates, serving from 1967 until 1975. As chairman of 
     the board, Billington and his fellow trustees produced the 
     college's ``Blue Book,'' a working philosophy that helped 
     guide the selection of administrators and the development of 
     the college's curriculum for the following decades.
       In January 2000, the JCCC library was named for Billington 
     in recognition of his years of support of the college.
       Billington worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas 
     City for 35 years, retiring as executive vice president.

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