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1 AMENDMENT TO HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 41
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend House Joint Resolution 41 by
3 replacing everything after the title with the following:
4 "WHEREAS, Throughout history brave Americans have shed
5 their blood during wars and conflicts to preserve, protect,
6 and defend the foundation of the principles of democracy and
7 freedom; and
8 WHEREAS, Many of those that have served have been the
9 brave men and women of the State of Illinois; and
10 WHEREAS, In every military conflict and national time of
11 need since 1818, the brave men and women of the State of
12 Illinois have risen to the cause of defending democracy; and
13 WHEREAS, These brave men and women often left behind
14 family, friends, farms, and businesses, and many of them were
15 never to return, making the ultimate sacrifice for their
16 country; and
17 WHEREAS, With the signing of the Armistice ending the
18 "War to End All Wars", WWI, on November 11, 1918, the
19 veterans of Illinois were given a holiday of solemn
20 remembrance and thanks from their countrymen, which later
21 came to be known as Veterans Day; and
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1 WHEREAS, The people of the great State of Illinois wish
2 to thank those numerous veterans for their sacrifices and
3 service; and
4 WHEREAS, On August 7, 1782, General George Washington
5 established the Military Badge of Merit, which on February
6 22, 1932 became the Purple Heart medal, now the oldest
7 military decoration in the world; and
8 WHEREAS, The Purple Heart medal is awarded to military
9 personnel who are killed or wounded in action against the
10 enemy; and
11 WHEREAS, E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi was first elected to the
12 House of Representatives in 1964, and he served in that
13 position until his passing in 1993; and
14 WHEREAS, From his first term through his service as "Dean
15 of the House", Zeke Giorgi served the people of this State
16 with great distinction, and he is remembered by his
17 colleagues on both sides of the aisle for providing
18 invaluable guidance and leadership on many important issues;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, During all the years that Zeke Giorgi served in
21 the House, he drove between Springfield and his Rockford
22 legislative district on U.S. Highway 51 and was a strong
23 advocate for Route 51 improvements, which were completed in
24 several stages; and
25 WHEREAS, Following the completion of improvements to U.S.
26 Route 51, the highway was designated as Interstate Highway
27 39; and
28 WHEREAS, Interstate Highway 39 provides an essential
29 transportation corridor between Rockford and Bloomington and
30 other parts of Central Illinois; and
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1 WHEREAS, We wish to permanently commemorate Zeke Giorgi's
2 essential role in creating this critically needed highway and
3 his abiding impact on the lives of the people of Illinois;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, Thomas William Davenport was a licensed civil
6 engineer with the Illinois Department of Transportation; on
7 April 16, 1992, he was killed by a drunk driver north of his
8 home in Chatham, Illinois; and
9 WHEREAS, Thomas Davenport was a son, brother, husband,
10 and father; and
11 WHEREAS, Thomas Davenport, working with the Illinois
12 Department of Transportation, assisted with the building of
13 the bridge on South Chatham Road that crosses Interstate 72
14 and Illinois Route 36; and
15 WHEREAS, The bridge is located on South Chatham Road in
16 Springfield, Illinois, and is used as an overpass for
17 Interstate 72 and Illinois Route 36; and
18 WHEREAS, The members of the House were saddened to learn
19 of the death of Mayor Ken Hayes of Bradley; and
20 WHEREAS, He was elected mayor in 1981 and was re-elected
21 in 1985, 1989, 1993, and 1997; and
22 WHEREAS, He was born in Limestone Township on August 30,
23 1924, the son of Patrick and Catherine Hayes; the family
24 moved to Bradley when he was three months old, and until his
25 death he lived in the house that his father bought; and
26 WHEREAS, He attended St. Joseph's Grammar School and
27 Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School; he served in the
28 United States Army's 83rd Division, 331st Infantry, Company L
29 during World War II; he won the Silver Star, the Bronze Star
30 with clusters for meritorious service, a Good Conduct medal,
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1 the European Theatre of Operations medal for five campaigns,
2 and the Croix de Guerre for service to France; and
3 WHEREAS, When he returned from war, Ken Hayes became a
4 precinct captain and then a committeeman; he was elected
5 vice-chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in Kankakee
6 County in 1966 and served in that role until 1972, when he
7 was elected central committee chairman; and
8 WHEREAS, When he arrived home from the Army, he worked in
9 the pipefitter's union local until he had a heart attack in
10 1963, which led him to quit his trade; he went to work
11 inspecting seed for the Illinois Department of Agriculture;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, He later went to work for the Illinois Secretary
14 of State and retired with a disability pension after a heart
15 bypass operation in 1978; and
16 WHEREAS, He was the founder of the Area Jobs Development
17 Association; was active in scouting, golfing, and the Bradley
18 Lions; and was a life member of the Bradley V.F.W.; and
19 WHEREAS, Under Mayor Hayes' strong leadership, the
20 Village of Bradley experienced unprecedented commercial and
21 retail growth, producing large increases in sales tax revenue
22 for Bradley; and
23 WHEREAS, He was a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose
24 Lodge of Bradley, one of the vice presidents of the Illinois
25 Municipal League, and a member of the Mayors Association; and
26 WHEREAS, Much of the commercial growth and development
27 that Kenneth P. Hayes worked for occurred along Illinois
28 Route 50; therefore, be it
29 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
30 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
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1 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that Interstate 72, traversing
2 through the heart of Illinois, be designated as the
3 commemorative "Purple Heart Memorial Highway", to pay tribute
4 to the many thousands of Illinois residents who have been
5 awarded the Purple Heart medal; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
7 is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
8 State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
9 giving notice of that name; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That the portion of Interstate Highway 39
11 commencing at its point of origin in Winnebago County and
12 ending at its intersection with Interstate Route 88 be
13 designated the E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi Highway; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is
15 requested to erect appropriate plaques or signs giving notice
16 of the E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi Highway; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the bridge on South Chatham Road, spanning
18 Interstate 72 and Illinois Route 36, is named the Thomas
19 William Davenport Memorial Bridge; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
21 is requested to erect, at a suitable location consistent with
22 State and federal regulations, an appropriate plaque or signs
23 giving notice of that name; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That Illinois Route 50 in Bradley, Illinois,
25 from North Street to Larry Power Road, is designated as the
26 Kenneth P. Hayes Memorial Highway; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
28 is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with
29 State regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice
30 of that name; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
3 Transportation; the Secretary of the Illinois Department of
4 Transportation; the family of E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi; the family
5 of Thomas William Davenport; and the family of Mayor Ken
6 Hayes.".