Full Text of HR0312 099th General Assembly
HR0312 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Ernest | 4 | | "Ernie" Banks, who passed away on January 23, 2015; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks was born in Dallas, Texas on January | 6 | | 31, 1931; his parents were Eddie and Essie Banks; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks grew up in Dallas, where he attended | 8 | | church and Sunday school at St. Paul's Methodist Church; he was | 9 | | a gifted athlete, having attended Booker T. Washington High | 10 | | School and lettering in basketball, football, and track; he | 11 | | also played softball for the church team during the summer and | 12 | | served as a batboy for his father's baseball teams; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, While playing softball, Ernie Banks was | 14 | | discovered by black newspaper publisher and ex-Negro League | 15 | | pitcher, William Blair; under Blair's guidance, he joined the | 16 | | nearby Amarillo Colts, a black semi-pro baseball team in | 17 | | Amarillo, Texas; he played briefly with the Colts before being | 18 | | recruited by the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs, a team | 19 | | whose alumni included Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige; he | 20 | | made his debut with the Monarchs after graduating from high | 21 | | school in 1950; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In 1951, Ernie Banks' time with the Monarchs was | 2 | | cut short when he was drafted into the United States Army; he | 3 | | served in Germany and Korea and was a flag bearer in the 45th | 4 | | Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion at Fort Bliss; while at Fort | 5 | | Bliss, he briefly played with the Harlem Globetrotters; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 1953, Ernie Banks was discharged from the Army | 7 | | and returned home to play for the Monarchs; in September of | 8 | | 1953, the Chicago Cubs bought Ernie's contract from the | 9 | | Monarchs; on September 17, 1953, he made his Major League debut | 10 | | at Wrigley Field, and eventually played in 10 games; he was the | 11 | | Cubs' first African-American player and became one of a handful | 12 | | of former Negro League players who joined the Major Leagues; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks was among the greatest and most | 15 | | popular players in the history of the game of baseball; over | 16 | | the course of 19 seasons, he was one of the most potent | 17 | | offensive threats in baseball and was a fan favorite for his | 18 | | charm and cheerful disposition; he hit 512 home runs, | 19 | | surpassing the 40-roundtrippers mark 5 times; he hit 277 of his | 20 | | home runs as a shortstop - a National League record; he holds | 21 | | the National League single-season mark for home runs by a | 22 | | shortstop with 47 in 1958; he was voted to the All-Star Team 14 | 23 | | times and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in | 24 | | 1958 and 1959, making him the first player to ever win the |
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| 1 | | National League MVP in consecutive seasons; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On December l, 1971, Ernie Banks retired as a | 3 | | player, but served as a coach for the Cubs from 1967 to 1973; | 4 | | on May 8, 1973, he took over the reins as manager of the Cubs, | 5 | | becoming the first African-American to manage a Major League | 6 | | team; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks was a roving instructor for the Cubs | 8 | | Minor League system from 1974 to 1976; he worked in the team's | 9 | | community relations department and served on the Cubs Board of | 10 | | Directors following the death of Philip Wrigley; he also served | 11 | | as an honorary manager during the 1984 playoffs, was a frequent | 12 | | attendee at special events, including Opening Day and the | 13 | | annual Cubs Convention, and represented the franchise at | 14 | | numerous Major League Baseball and charity events; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, During and after his career in baseball, Ernie | 16 | | Banks ventured into civics, business, and politics; he ran for | 17 | | Alderman of Chicago's 8th Ward in 1962 under the campaign motto | 18 | | "Put a slugger into City Hall"; he was a partner in several | 19 | | business ventures and was one of the first black owners of a | 20 | | U.S. Ford Motor Company dealership; he also served on the | 21 | | boards of the Chicago Transit Authority, Jackson Park Hospital, | 22 | | the La Rabida Sanitarium, the Glenwood Home for Boys, the | 23 | | Metropolitan YMCA, the Joint Negro Appeal, the Woodlawn Boys |
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| 1 | | Club, the Chicago Rehabilitation Institute, and Big Brothers | 2 | | Big Sisters; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks was elected into the Baseball Hall of | 4 | | Fame in 1977 on the first ballot; he was the first player in | 5 | | Cubs history to have his number retired in 1982; his flag flies | 6 | | from the left-field foul pole at Wrigley Field to this day; he | 7 | | was inducted as a member of the Major League Baseball's | 8 | | All-Century Team and was honored on the field at the All-Star | 9 | | Game in Fenway Park in 1999; he was the first player in | 10 | | franchise history to be honored with a statue at Wrigley Field | 11 | | on March 31, 2008; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, In 2008, Ernie Banks was named a Library of | 13 | | Congress Living Legend; in 2013, Ernie was presented with the | 14 | | Presidential Medal of Freedom, an award given to those who have | 15 | | made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or | 16 | | national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural, | 17 | | or other significant public or private endeavors", by President | 18 | | Barack Obama; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks was preceded in death by his first | 20 | | wife, Eloyce Johnson Banks, whom he married in 1959; 5 | 21 | | brothers, Samuel Banks, Benjamin Banks, Glover Banks, Robert | 22 | | Banks, and Eddie Banks, Jr.; and a sister, Frances Wilson; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks is survived by his wife, Liz Banks; 2 | 2 | | sons, Jerry (Theresa) Banks and Joey (Norma Jean) Banks; 2 | 3 | | daughters, Jan Banks and Alyna Banks; a grandson, Marcelo | 4 | | Banks; a granddaughter, Courtney Dozier Banks; 3 sisters, Edna | 5 | | Warren, Estella Johnson, and Evelyn Lockhart; 2 brothers, | 6 | | Walter Banks and Donald Banks; and his many nieces, nephews, | 7 | | family, friends, and countless fans; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Ernie Banks will be honored for his countless | 9 | | achievements and his pioneering role in baseball history during | 10 | | the Chicago Cubs' opening night events on April 5, 2015; | 11 | | therefore, be it | 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 13 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we, along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of | 15 | | former Chicago Cub legend Ernie Banks, "Mr. Cub", who will | 16 | | forever emphatically be remembered for his famous line, "Let's | 17 | | play two!"; and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to the family of Ernie Banks as an expression of our | 20 | | sympathy.
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