SJ0083 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0083 LRB094 19811 DRH 56969 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On August 26, 1906, the Chicago Motor Club, also known as AAA Chicago, was founded by Charles P. Root with a handful of automobile enthusiasts to stand "for all that is good and against all that is bad in motoring", led by club President William H. Arthur; and

WHEREAS, Today AAA Chicago is comprised of more than 850,000 members from southern Illinois to the northern borders of Illinois and northern Indiana with 34 branch offices headed by President Brad Roeber; and

WHEREAS, Chicago is also the birthplace of the American Automobile Association, which was formed in 1902 and now boasts over 48 million members throughout North America; and

WHEREAS, In 1911, the Motor News was instituted as the first magazine for members of the Chicago Motor Club and in 1917 the Chicago Motor Club formed its first insurance company; and

WHEREAS, Today AAA Living now carries the standard as Chicago Motor Club's membership magazine in the tradition of its predecessor publications Motor News and Home and Away; and

WHEREAS, In 1920, Chicago Motor Club President Charles M. Hayes launched "School Safety Patrol", the first-ever initiative for school crossing guards, and in 1938 sponsored the first driver's education classes; and

WHEREAS, Today Safety Patrol encompasses schools across the country and is over 500,000 patrollers strong, driver's education is an institution in our high schools, and AAA is recognized around the world as an advocate for traffic safety; and

WHEREAS, In 1929 the Chicago Motor Club inaugurated its South Water Street high rise in downtown Chicago as its corporate headquarters and in 1986 relocated its headquarters to Des Plaines; and

WHEREAS, Today, and since 2001, the Chicago Motor Club is headquartered in the beautiful AAA building on Meridian Lake Drive in Aurora; and

WHEREAS, In 2004 AAA Chicago hosted its first "Strollerthon", an annual charity walk to raise funds for child passenger seats; and

WHEREAS, The Chicago Motor Club still thrives today as a result of its public service mission and its advocacy for its members as motorists and on matters of traffic safety; and

WHEREAS, On August 26, 2006, the Chicago Motor Club celebrates its 100th year of service and joins the elite ranks of companies that have thrived for the last century; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we congratulate the Chicago Motor Club on the year-long celebration of its centennial anniversary of serving motorists in the State of Illinois, and we designate August 2006 as AAA Chicago Motorist Safety Month; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Chicago Motor Club as an expression of our esteem and best wishes for a second hundred years of service.