Full Text of HR0671 103rd General Assembly
HR0671 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0671 | | LRB103 40027 LAW 71422 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Fowler Connell on the | 4 | | occasion of his 100th birthday; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Fowler Connell was born on April 18, 1924; he | 6 | | graduated Paseo High School in Kansas City, Missouri in 1941; | 7 | | he attended Kansas City Junior College and graduated from the | 8 | | University of Missouri in 1949; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Fowler Connell served as a petty officer first | 10 | | class and a radarman in the U.S. Navy during World War II; he | 11 | | was aboard the USS Boston (CA-69) during his entire length of | 12 | | service from 1943 to 1946; during his time in the Pacific, he | 13 | | experienced kamikaze attacks and supported forces in island | 14 | | assaults post-Pearl Harbor; at 21 years of age, he witnessed | 15 | | the end of the war from the deck of the USS Boston, which was | 16 | | anchored off the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, where General | 17 | | MacArthur accepted the surrender of the Empire of Japan; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Fowler Connell led a 40-year career in newspaper | 19 | | journalism, beginning with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and | 20 | | the Champaign News-Gazette in 1949; he then joined the | 21 | | Danville Commercial-News in 1952, where he worked for 37 years | 22 | | before retiring from his position as sports editor at the end |
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| 1 | | of 1989; he was later honored by the newspaper in 2005, when it | 2 | | published a book featuring a collection of his favorite | 3 | | stories titled, Sports Through My Eyes, 50 Years of Sports | 4 | | Coverage, with proceeds from the sale of the book and | 5 | | companion audio CD supporting scholarships at Danville Area | 6 | | Community College; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Fowler Connell began his second career as a radio | 8 | | broadcaster on January 1, 1990, and he continued serving as a | 9 | | member of the WDAN broadcast team on high school, junior | 10 | | college, and local University of Illinois broadcasts until | 11 | | 2020; he appeared as a regular panelist on the WDAN Sports Talk | 12 | | program for over 30 years, retiring from the show at almost 97 | 13 | | years of age; during his 71 years of employment as a newspaper | 14 | | writer, editor, and radio broadcaster, he never missed a day | 15 | | of work; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Fowler Connell supported his community in a | 17 | | number of ways; he belonged to the Danville Golden K club, | 18 | | where he served as president and lieutenant governor, and | 19 | | volunteered at the Danville VA Hospital, Danville High School, | 20 | | North Ridge Middle School, the Danville Township Food Pantry, | 21 | | and a local retirement center, where he called bingo each | 22 | | week, remaining active in local volunteer service until age | 23 | | 97; he spearheaded the establishment of the Vermilion County | 24 | | Sportsmanship Award over 30 years ago, and he continues to |
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| 1 | | serve on the award's local committee; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Fowler Connell, an icon of Danville and Vermilion | 3 | | County, will celebrate his 100th birthday on April 18, 2024; | 4 | | therefore, be it | 5 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 6 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 7 | | we congratulate Fowler Connell on his 100th birthday, commend | 8 | | him for his service to the State of Illinois and the nation, | 9 | | and wish him continued health and happiness; and be it further | 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented to Fowler Connell as an expression of our esteem and | 12 | | respect. |
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