16-734: Adeline Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park, part of the Illinois state park system, is located along Lake Michigan in northern Lake County in northeast Illinois. Together with lands to the north, including Chiwaukee Prairie , it forms the Chiwaukee Prairie Illinois Beach Lake Plain , an internationally recognized wet-land of importance under the Ramsar Convention . The park is broken into two units that encompass an area of 4,160 acres (1,683 ha) and contains over six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. In 2010, it
32-815: A historically Republican district, was one of the many Democratic victories in 2006 that gave the Democratic Party a super-majority in the State Senate. Geo-Karis finished her final term in the 94th General Assembly where she served as the Executive Appointments Co-Chairperson. She also served on the Senate Committee of the Whole and the Pensions & Investments committees. Geo-Karis was also an avid supporter of Saint Demitrios Greek Orthodox Church, and
48-524: A lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy despite similar roles and duties. Pursuant to the Appropriations Act of 1918, the Coast Guard adopted the U.S. Navy rank structure to prevent disagreements over seniority. There are two insignia used by lieutenant commanders. On service khakis and all working uniforms, lieutenant commanders wear a gold oak leaf collar device, similar to the ones worn by majors in
64-633: A lieutenant commander, their full rank should always be used; however, in general conversation they are usually called "commander" even though they are not "full" commanders (which is one rank higher). Simply "lieutenant" is never used because it is one rank lower. Promotion to lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy is governed by United States Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest 80% of lieutenants should be promoted to lieutenant commander after serving
80-643: A minimum of three years as lieutenants and after attaining nine to eleven years of cumulative commissioned service. While lieutenant commander is the U.S. Navy's first commissioned officer rank to be selected by a board, lieutenant commanders are still considered to be junior officers due to their origin as "lieutenant, commanding". This can be seen by lieutenant commanders not wearing the headgear embellishment (colloquially known as " scrambled eggs ") on their combination covers. The U.S. Coast Guard used its own rank system until World War I . In 1916, discontent grew among Coast Guard captains: By law, they ranked below
96-953: A time as Mayor of Zion . Born in Greece , Geo-Karis came to America at the age of four with her parents. She attended Northwestern University and the DePaul University College of Law. She rose to the rank Lt. Commander in the United States Naval Reserves before retiring with a top secret security clearance . She also served as a Justice of the Peace and later as an assistant state's attorney in Lake County. Due to an inter-party feud which included Republican Susan Simpson challenging Geo-Karis after she had told her she wanted to stay on for one more term, Geo-Karis endorsed Democrat Michael Bond to replace her. Bond's election, in
112-420: Is 3,700 years old and composed of curvilinear ridge-and-swale topography. The beach ridges support black oak savanna habitat, while wetlands dominate the swales. The Zion Beach Ridge Plain has been migrating south throughout the late Holocene : the northern portion of the beach ridge erodes; freed sediment is then transported through the dominantly southward littoral drift and deposited on the southern portion of
128-538: The United States Air Force and United States Army , and identical to that worn by majors in the United States Marine Corps . In all dress uniforms, they wear sleeve braid or shoulder boards bearing a single gold quarter-inch stripe between two gold half-inch strips (nominal size). In the case of officers of the U.S. Navy, above or inboard of the stripes, they wear their specialty insignia, notably
144-806: The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps , and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3. Lieutenant commander ranks above lieutenant and below commander . The rank is also used in the United States Maritime Service . The rank is equivalent to a major in the United States Army , United States Air Force , United States Marine Corps , and United States Space Force . When introducing
160-426: The beach is less crowded and a mile of shoreline extends to an inlet into a wetland. Depending on weather conditions this inlet may be blocked by a berm from the lake waters, and again depending on weather conditions the water inside the berm may be significantly warmer than Lake Michigan which is rather cold until August. Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Adeline Jay Geo-Karis (March 29, 1918 – February 10, 2008)
176-431: The beach ridge. This erosion and subsequent accretion process created the characteristically curved ridges and swales of the park as the complex migrates south. The northern unit of Illinois Beach State Park experiences rapid rates of erosion, which was exacerbated by the construction of North Point Marina in 1989 and reaches highs of 60 ft per year. The southward migration of the beach ridge plain has been disrupted by
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#1732848033102192-419: The construction of Waukegan Harbor. Erosion in the north unit of the park is exacerbated during periods of high lake level. As Lake Michigan has entered a period near record high lake levels since 2014, the park is experiencing rapid transgression of the shoreline. The entry to the beach is usually from a parking area on its north side: north of this lot is usually the most crowded area in the summer time. South,
208-618: Was a Republican politician and a member of the Illinois Senate for the 31st District, where she served for over 25 years. Prior to her election as Senator, she was in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Known simply as "Geo" to her constituents, she was a popular politician in Lake County , Illinois for many years. Known for her no-nonsense attitude and her ability to work across party lines, she also served for
224-625: Was a member there for over fifty years. She died on February 10, 2008, aged 89, of natural causes, at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, Illinois . The Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park in Zion is named for her. Lieutenant commander (United States) Lieutenant commander ( LCDR ) is a junior officer rank in the United States Navy , the United States Coast Guard ,
240-585: Was gradually created starting in 1948 when the state acquired the first parcels. The northern unit, acquired between 1971 and 1982, was previously an Illinois National Guard training facility known as Camp Logan, Illinois . During the American Civil War , Camp Logan was a Union prisoner of war camp. In 1958, the Illinois Beach Hotel was opened within the park. The park is located in the 12 mile long Zion Beach Ridge Plain . The Zion Beach Ridge Plain
256-443: Was renamed for former state senator Adeline Geo-Karis . Recreational activities at the park include boating, swimming, hiking, bicycling, camping, bird watching, and picnicking. Known primarily for the beach, the park also includes dune areas, wetlands , prairie , and black oak savanna . The area at the far southern end of the park is a designated nature preserve , which was named a National Natural Landmark in 1980. The park
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