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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, James Howard "Jim" Thome played for 22 seasons | ||||||
| 3 | from 1991 to 2012 for Major League Baseball 6 teams, including | ||||||
| 4 | the Cleveland
Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White | ||||||
| 5 | Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota
Twins, and Baltimore | ||||||
| 6 | Orioles; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Jim Thome was born to
parents Joyce and Charles | ||||||
| 8 | Thome and raised in Peoria County; he began playing baseball | ||||||
| 9 | with the West
Peoria Little League and then moved on to | ||||||
| 10 | Limestone Community High School in
Bartonville, where he | ||||||
| 11 | achieved All-State honors as a baseball shortstop; following | ||||||
| 12 | his high school graduation, he played baseball at Illinois | ||||||
| 13 | Central College
in East Peoria for one season before being | ||||||
| 14 | drafted by the Cleveland
Indians in 1989; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Jim Thome officially retired from the Cleveland | ||||||
| 16 | Indians in 2014, accumulating a .276 batting average, 2,328 | ||||||
| 17 | hits, 612 home runs, and 1,699 runs batted in; he is the 8th | ||||||
| 18 | player in baseball history to reach 612 home runs; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, Jim Thome accumulated the following career | ||||||
| 20 | highlights:
5-time All Star in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, and | ||||||
| 21 | 2006, the Silver Slugger Award in 1996, American League | ||||||
| 22 | Comeback Player of the Year in 2006, the Roberto
Clemente Award | ||||||
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| 1 | in 2002, and the National League home run champion in 2003; he | ||||||
| 2 | was
inducted into the Greater Peoria Area Sports Hall of Fame | ||||||
| 3 | in 2015; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Jim Thome is known for his positive attitude and | ||||||
| 5 | outgoing
personality as well as his philanthropic activities, | ||||||
| 6 | which have earned him 2
Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards | ||||||
| 7 | and the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award; he
was also known for his | ||||||
| 8 | willingness to sign autographs for fans; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Jim Thome now works in an executive
position with | ||||||
| 10 | the Chicago White Sox; therefore, be it
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| 11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 12 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 13 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Illinois Route 24, | ||||||
| 14 | beginning at the intersection of South Adams Street and | ||||||
| 15 | Illinois Route 24 in Bartonville and ending at the intersection | ||||||
| 16 | of Griswold Street and Route 24 in Peoria, as the "Jim Thome | ||||||
| 17 | Highway"; and be it further | ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, The Illinois Department of Transportation is | ||||||
| 19 | requested to erect at
suitable locations, as designated by the | ||||||
| 20 | James Howard Thome Committee and consistent with State and | ||||||
| 21 | Federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving
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| 22 | notice of the name of the "Jim Thome Highway"; and be it | ||||||
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| 1 | further
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| 2 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 3 | presented to the Secretary of
the Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 4 | Transportation and James Howard "Jim" Thome.
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