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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
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| 3 | Assembly pays honor and respect to individuals who gave their
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| 4 | lives in the line of duty; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Myron G. Deckard was shot and killed in the | ||||||
| 6 | line of duty on June 6, 2001 along Interstate 72 East while | ||||||
| 7 | transporting a prisoner from Macon County to Vermilion County; | ||||||
| 8 | and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Deckard had served with the Vermilion County | ||||||
| 10 | Sheriff's Department for 32 years and had been a warrant | ||||||
| 11 | officer for 15 years; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, The Sgt. Deckard Memorial Scholarship Fund was | ||||||
| 13 | established by Sgt. Deckard's family in his memory; the | ||||||
| 14 | scholarship benefits students of the Danville Area Community | ||||||
| 15 | College who are the dependents of a law enforcement officer or | ||||||
| 16 | of a member of the Danville Rifle and Pistol Club; each year, | ||||||
| 17 | the Danville Rifle and Pistol Club hosts a pistol shoot and | ||||||
| 18 | raffle to raise funds for the scholarship, and, over the | ||||||
| 19 | event's 8-year history, it has contributed over $61,000 to the | ||||||
| 20 | scholarship fund; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Deckard is survived by his wife, Jean, and | ||||||
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| 1 | his son, Tony; he was a 32nd degree Mason and past president of | ||||||
| 2 | the Uncle Joe Cannon Toastmasters Club; he was an active member | ||||||
| 3 | of the Danville Rifle and Pistol Club and was a regular at the | ||||||
| 4 | YMCA health club; he also visited schools giving young children | ||||||
| 5 | presentations on law enforcement; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Deckard's dedication and devotion are the | ||||||
| 7 | standard by which Illinois law enforcement is measured; | ||||||
| 8 | therefore, be it
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| 9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 10 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 11 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the rest areas on | ||||||
| 12 | Interstate 72 East and 72 West at Milepost 152, between Decatur | ||||||
| 13 | and Champaign, as the "Sgt. Myron G. Deckard Memorial Rest | ||||||
| 14 | Area"; and be it further | ||||||
| 15 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation
is | ||||||
| 16 | requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State | ||||||
| 17 | and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
giving | ||||||
| 18 | notice of the name; and be it further
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| 19 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 20 | presented to the family of Sgt. Deckard and the Secretary of | ||||||
| 21 | the Department of Transportation.
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