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92_SR0331
LRB9216111RHrh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3 express their sincere condolences to the family and friends
4 of Rudolph "Rudy" Klena, who passed away on December 24,
5 2001; and
6 WHEREAS, Rudolph "Rudy" Klena was a retired sports shop
7 owner who was instrumental in starting Little League baseball
8 in Westmont; and
9 WHEREAS, Born in Chicago, Mr. Klena grew up in
10 unincorporated Westmont at a time where the closest neighbor
11 was a block away and there were more dirt roads than paved
12 ones through the farms and prairies; and
13 WHEREAS, In 1956, Mr. Klena built a home in Darien for
14 his wife and young children; he also opened a small sports
15 equipment store in downtown Westmont called Rudy's Sports
16 Shop; and
17 WHEREAS, Mr. Klena got a kick out of the kids coming in
18 every spring and buying their new baseball bats with the
19 money they'd saved all year, however, there weren't any
20 organized leagues in the area, and the kids were always
21 looking for someplace to play; as a result, Mr. Klena and a
22 couple of other local fathers decided to organize Westmont's
23 first Little League program; and
24 WHEREAS, In search of financial support, Mr. Klena
25 approached the Comiskey family, then-owners of the Chicago
26 White Sox and residents of Hinsdale, to ask for a
27 contribution to start a league; help came in a big way from
28 the Comiskey family, and Westmont's Little League Program was
29 officially underway; and
30 WHEREAS, Mr. Klena closed his sports shop in the early
31 1960s, but continued working as a carpenter for local home
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1 builders; in 1976 he retired and moved to Carson City,
2 Nevada; and
3 WHEREAS, The passing of Rudolph "Rudy" Klena will be
4 deeply felt by all who knew and loved him, especially his
5 wife of 61 years, LaFern; his son, Bill; his daughters, Nancy
6 Soong and Sue Merriwether; his brother, Dave; his sisters,
7 Vickie Guenther and Theresa Gottshalk; and his four
8 grandchildren; therefore, be it
9 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
10 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
11 all who knew him, the death of Rudolph "Rudy" Klena formerly
12 of Darien; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to the family of Rudolph "Rudy" Klena with our
15 sincere condolences.