HR0476 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are proud to recognize the life and legacy of those individuals that have distinguished themselves through significant personal achievement; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives was born on June 14, 1909 in Hunt City; he was the son of Levi "Frank" Ives and Cordelia "Dellie" White; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives' musical talent was recognized at an early age; one day, Mr. Ives was singing in the garden with his mother, and his uncle overheard them; he invited his nephew to sing at the old soldiers' reunion in Hunt City; young Burl performed a rendition of the folk ballad "Barbara Allen" and impressed both his uncle and the audience; and

WHEREAS, From 1927 to 1929, Burl Ives attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College in Charleston (now Eastern Illinois University), where he played football; during his junior year, while sitting in English class listening to a lecture on Beowulf, he suddenly realized that he was wasting his time in school and rose up to leave; as he walked out the door, the professor made a snide remark and Mr. Ives slammed the door behind him; 60 years later, the school named a building after its most famous dropout; and

WHEREAS, During the early 1930s, Burl Ives traveled about the U.S. as an itinerant singer, earning his way by doing odd jobs and playing his banjo; around 1931, he landed on WBOW radio in Terre Haute, Indiana; he also went back to school, attending classes at Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State University); and

WHEREAS, In 1940, Burl Ives began his own radio show, titled "The Wayfaring Stranger" after one of his ballads; the show became very popular; in the 1940s, he popularized several traditional folk songs, such as "Lavender Blue", "Foggy Foggy Dew", "Blue Tail Fly", and "Big Rock Candy Mountain"; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives was drafted to serve in the military in early 1942; he first spent time at Camp Dix in New Jersey, then at Camp Upton in New York, where he joined the cast of Irving Berlin's "This Is the Army"; when the show went to Hollywood, he was transferred to the Army Air Force; he was honorably discharged in September of 1943; in December of 1943, Ives returned to New York City and went to work again for CBS radio for $100 a week; and

WHEREAS, On December 6, 1945, Burl Ives married 29-year-old script writer Helen Peck Ehrlich; the pair would later adopt a son (Alexander); the following year, Mr. Ives was cast as a singing cowboy in the film "Smoky"; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives continued his burgeoning movie career during the 1950s, with roles in "East of Eden" in 1955, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in 1958, "The Big Country" in 1958, which won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and "Our Man in Havana" in 1959; and

WHEREAS, In the 1960s, Burl Ives began singing country music with greater frequency; in 1962, he released three country music hits, "A Little Bitty Tear", "Call Me Mr. In-Between", and "Funny Way of Laughing"; all three songs also became big pop music hits; and

WHEREAS, During the 1960s and 1970s, Burl Ives took on a number of television roles; he played the narrator, Sam the Snowman, in the animated television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964; Mr. Ives' song "A Holly Jolly Christmas", featured during the special, remains a popular tune during the Christmas season; he also performed in Pinocchio in 1968 and Roots in 1977; he was the star of two television series, "O.K. Crackerby!" (1965-1966) and "The Bold Ones: The Lawyers" (1969-1972); in 1962, he starred alongside Rock Hudson in the movie "The Spiral Road"; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives and Helen Peck Ehrlich divorced in 1971; he then married Dorothy Koster Paul in London, England in that same year and adopted her two children, Kevin and Robbie; and

WHEREAS, On October 25, 1975, Burl Ives was awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit in honor of his vast influence on American vocal music; and

WHEREAS, In the 1970s, Burl Ives lent his name and image to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's "This Land is Your Land, Keep It Clean" campaign; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives passed away at the age of 85 on April 14, 1995 in Anacortes, Washington after a valiant fight against cancer; he is interred at Mound Cemetery in Hunt City Township in Jasper County; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives appeared in many Broadway shows, including "The Boys From Syracuse", "Heavenly Express", "This is the Army", "Sing Out Sweet Land", "Paint Your Wagon", and "Dr. Cook's Garden"; his most notable Broadway performance, however, was the role of Big Daddy Cane in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", a role written specifically for Ives by Tennessee Williams; he would later reprise the role in the 1958 movie version; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives published his autobiography, "The Wayfaring Stranger", in 1948; he also wrote or compiled several other books, including the "Burl Ives Songbook" (1953), "Tales of America" (1954), "Sea Songs of Sailing, Whaling, and Fishing" (1956), and "The Wayfaring Stranger's Notebook" (1962); and

WHEREAS, During the course of the multi-decade career; Burl Ives recorded more than 100 albums and scored dozens of hits; his music is still adored and emulated by countless numbers of fans and fellow musicians; and

WHEREAS, Burl Ives' legacy lives on through his legions of devoted fans and his unforgettable catalog of incredible music; his contributions to the world of music and the people of the State of Illinois are enormous; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Burl Ives on June 14, 2009 and urge the citizens of the State of Illinois to celebrate as well; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Burl Ives, the Jasper County Board, and the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce as a symbol of our esteem and respect.