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92_HR0917
LRB9216882RHrhA
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, On June 26, 1960, a rookie ball player trotted
3 out onto the field and played his first game as a Chicago
4 Cub; it was a double header, and the Cubs won both games; Ron
5 Santo was new to the team, but already he was contributing
6 his positive spirit and his determination to overcome all
7 challenges; and
8 WHEREAS, Ron Santo was, in fact, facing challenges not
9 even the Cubs knew about; two years before Ron had been
10 diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes; although he
11 struggled daily with the constant insulin injections and the
12 endless struggle to balance his exercise and diet, Ron kept
13 this to himself while his talent at third base led to five
14 Gold Glove Awards; this, coupled with a career 342 home runs,
15 1,331 RBI's and an overall batting average of .277, took Ron
16 to nine Major League all-star games; and
17 WHEREAS, That spirit of determination has never wavered
18 in Ron Santo; after a brilliant fourteen-year career with the
19 Chicago Cubs, he launched a highly successful career dealing
20 in oil, the food industry, and fried chicken; because of his
21 successes as a ballplayer, he remained immensely popular with
22 the Chicagoland public, and when the then-fledgling local
23 chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation approached him
24 about lending his name to its annual Walk to Cure Diabetes,
25 he didn't hesitate; and
26 WHEREAS, The rest, as they say, is history; with Ron's
27 involvement the Walk was able to garner tremendous support in
28 its first year and tap into donations of food, prizes,
29 printing etc. that raised $53,000 and included 1,000 people;
30 he did the talk show circuit, signed every t-shirt,
31 participated in publicity efforts, and was on hand on Walk
32 day to welcome and thank participants; and
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1 WHEREAS, Twenty-four years later, Ron Santo is still at
2 the forefront of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
3 Walk to Cure Diabetes here in Chicago, and with his help it
4 has become the most successful of Juvenile Diabetes Research
5 Foundation Walks in the country; from 1,000 walkers and
6 $53,000 it has grown to incorporate three sites, 14,000
7 people, and $4.1 million; since its inception, the Walk in
8 Chicago has raised $20 million for diabetes research; and
9 WHEREAS, If Ron Santo's involvement had stopped there he
10 would still be a worthy recipient of the Chapter's Person of
11 the Year Award; he has done so much more for Juvenile
12 Diabetes while facing his own, serious challenges in living
13 with diabetes; and
14 WHEREAS, Year in, year out Ron Santo has supported
15 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in every conceivable
16 way; from pulling the winning sweepstakes ticket at the
17 Chapter's Chance of a Lifetime Gala to testifying numerous
18 times before Congress on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes
19 Research Foundation to encourage increased federal funding of
20 diabetes research; Mr. Santo has been a tireless advocate on
21 behalf of the millions living with diabetes, making personal
22 visits to legislators, making personal appearances at
23 diabetes-related events, helping to secure other celebrities
24 to boost attendance and revenue at events, and recently,
25 writing to President Bush to advocate for stem cell research;
26 and
27 WHEREAS, In 1990, Ron Santo entered a new phase of his
28 career when he brought his baseball expertise to the WGN
29 Radio 720 Cubs broadcast booth where he can now be heard
30 providing the Cubs color commentary coupled with the
31 knowledge and professionalism of Radio 720's play-by-play
32 announcer, Pat Hughes; but Mr. Santo's new role didn't slow
33 him down one bit as far as Juvenile Diabetes Research
-3- LRB9216882RHrhA
1 Foundation was concerned; in fact, he has frequently and
2 repeatedly used his public status to educate the public about
3 diabetes and the need for a cure and to encourage
4 participation in Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
5 events; in 1997, Ron began hosting his annual Ron Santo Golf
6 Experience, an event that has raised more than $970,000 for
7 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation since its inception;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, Ron Santo has frequently provided encouragement
10 and support for those who live with diabetes, and he has
11 acted as a role model for thousands of people; he has made
12 hundreds of calls and visits to hospitals offering
13 encouragement and hope to newly diagnosed families and brings
14 hope to so many; and
15 WHEREAS, In December 2001, Ron Santo lost part of his
16 right leg to diabetes-related complications; after so many
17 years, the role model, the beacon of hope, might have needed
18 encouragement himself; but once again his determination and
19 optimism to overcome challenges added to his motivation to
20 get "on his feet" again in order to continue his role as a
21 true crusader for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation;
22 and
23 WHEREAS, Ron Santo is a Lifetime Board Member for the
24 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Greater Chicago
25 Chapter; and
26 WHEREAS, Clearly, there could be no more dedicated "team
27 player" than Ron Santo; to honor him as the Juvenile Diabetes
28 Research Foundation Greater Chicago Chapter 2002 Person of
29 the Year is only to recognize the obvious, that Ron is not
30 only a person of the year, but a Juvenile Diabetes Research
31 Foundation champion for all seasons and all years; therefore,
32 be it
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1 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3 we congratulate Ron Santo for being chosen as the Juvenile
4 Diabetes Research Foundation Person of the Year; and be it
5 further
6 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7 given to Ron Santo as an expression of our esteem.