HJ0090 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0090 LRB100 13631 MST 28289 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton was born in his grandfather's home in Pocahontas on July 4, 1930; and

WHEREAS, Coming from a very poor background, Richard Clayton started working at the age of 10 to support his grandparents; in 1943, he worked at the Hartfield Show Tannery for $0.82 cents an hour; and

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton graduated from Pocahontas High School, where he was a star basketball player; he enrolled in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, but his family's finances did not allow him to stay and earn a degree; he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1950, achieving the rank of sergeant and serving honorably until his discharge in 1952; and

WHEREAS, After being discharged from the Marines, Richard Clayton worked as a carpenter at Granite City Steel in Collinsville; he was a construction foreman for various companies until becoming a superintendent with Gorman & Sons in East St. Louis; and

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton married Marjory Ellen Hicks in December of 1953; Marjory's career spanned 31 years teaching at Highland Junior and Senior High Schools; Richard built a house for his family on four acres of a former corn field along Route 160 between Highland and Grantfork, where he and his wife raised two children, Warren and Patty; and

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton's career became focused on highway bridge construction in Southern Illinois, working for the Bituminous Fuel Oil Company in Collinsville, and later as a bridge inspector for the State of Illinois for a short time; and

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton then worked with the Hoefken Brothers in Belleville for 10 years; when the owner, John Hoefken, left the company and started Mississippi Valley Materials, Richard joined him and finished his career at the new company; and

WHEREAS, In 1985, Richard Clayton took early retirement and started Chipwood Acres Nursery with his wife on their property along Route 160; it was a successful tree and plant nursery for 20 years where they shared their landscaping talents with the local community by providing landscaping design, trees, foundation shrubs, flowering perennial and annual plants for sale, and personal landscape advice that you could not get anywhere else; and

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton and Marjory retired from the nursery in 2005; Marjory passed away in April of 2017; and

WHEREAS, Richard Clayton remains on their acreage along Route 160 still maintaining his green thumb; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that, in honor of his contribution to the betterment of the State, we designate the bridge on Route 160 between Highland and Grantfork in Madison County crossing over I-70 as the "Richard Clayton Bridge-Southern Illinois Bridge Builder"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name "Richard Clayton Bridge-Southern Illinois Bridge Builder"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Richard Clayton, Highland Mayor Joseph R. Michaelis, and the Secretary of Transportation.