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91_HJ0071
LRB9113726DHksC
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Throughout history brave Americans have shed
3 their blood during wars and conflicts to preserve, protect,
4 and defend the foundation of the principles of democracy and
5 freedom, and hundreds of thousands have paid the ultimate
6 sacrifice to ensure that future generations enjoy life's
7 liberties; and
8 WHEREAS, On August 7, 1782, General George Washington
9 established the Military Badge of Merit, which on February
10 22, 1932, became the present and now the oldest military
11 decoration in the world, the Purple Heart medal; and
12 WHEREAS, The Purple Heart medal is awarded to all
13 military personnel who are killed or wounded in action
14 against the enemy; and
15 WHEREAS, It is the intent of the Illinois General
16 Assembly, representing the people of the Great State of
17 Illinois, to officially designate those portions of the
18 original location of the Historic Lincoln Highway, commonly
19 following portions of US Route 30, Illinois Route 38, and
20 various other routes now under local jurisdiction; and
21 WHEREAS, This route is considered by many to be historic
22 in the fact that in 1912, there was a vision with an
23 absolutely radical idea that there should be a paved highway
24 across this country from New York's Times Square to Lincoln
25 Park on the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco as noted by the
26 formal September 6, 1912 charter that read: "Resolved that
27 the Lincoln Highway now is, and henceforth shall be an
28 existing memorial to the immortal Abraham Lincoln"; and
29 WHEREAS, In 1919, Lt. Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower
30 accompanied a convoy from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco,
31 thereby forming an image in the future President's mind of a
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1 system of cross continental highways that eventually led to
2 the concept of our National Defense Highway System, commonly
3 referred to as the Interstate Highway System; and
4 WHEREAS, There are sections of the Lincoln Highway in
5 Illinois extending from the Illinois-Indiana border near
6 Lynwood, Sauk Village, and Ford Heights to the Mississippi
7 River at Fulton, Illinois; and
8 WHEREAS, E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi was first elected to the
9 House of Representatives in 1964, and he served in that
10 position until his passing in 1993; and
11 WHEREAS, From his first term through his service as
12 "Dean of the House", Zeke Giorgi served the people of this
13 State with great distinction, and he is remembered by his
14 colleagues on both sides of the aisle for providing
15 invaluable guidance and leadership on many important issues;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, During all the years that Zeke Giorgi served in
18 the House, he drove between Springfield and his Rockford
19 legislative district on U.S. Highway 51 and was a strong
20 advocate for Route 51 improvements, which were completed in
21 several stages; and
22 WHEREAS, Following the completion of improvements to U.S.
23 Route 51, the highway was designated as Interstate Highway
24 39; and
25 WHEREAS, Interstate Highway 39 provides an essential
26 transportation corridor between Rockford and Bloomington and
27 other parts of Central Illinois; and
28 WHEREAS, We wish to permanently commemorate Zeke
29 Giorgi's essential role in creating this critically needed
30 highway and his abiding impact on the lives of the people of
31 Illinois; and
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1 WHEREAS, The members of the General Assembly wish to
2 honor legendary Chicago Bear Walter Payton, who recently
3 passed away, by naming U.S. Route 34 the Walter Payton
4 Memorial Highway; and
5 WHEREAS, U.S. Route 34 starts in the City of Chicago and
6 runs west across the State of Illinois, through such cities
7 as Lyons, Brookfield, LaGrange, Western Springs, Hindsdale,
8 Westmont, Downers Grove, Lisle, Naperville, Aurora, Oswego,
9 Plano, Sandwich, Somonauk, Mendota, Princeton, Wyanet,
10 Kewanee, Galva, and Galesburg; and
11 WHEREAS, Walter Payton was a 1st round draft pick for the
12 Chicago Bears in 1975; the young college football star from
13 Jackson State would go on to set 8 NFL records and 28 Bears
14 team records in his 13 seasons with the team; and
15 WHEREAS, Known as "Sweetness" for his running style,
16 Walter Payton was selected to play in the Pro Bowl 9 times,
17 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993;
18 he was a part of the spectacular 1985 Bears season, which
19 ended with a Super Bowl victory; and
20 WHEREAS, Many of Walter Payton's records include: a
21 record 16,726 yards rushing in his career; he had 110 rushing
22 touchdowns in his career, and 77 100-yard rushing games; in a
23 game against the Minnesota Vikings in 1977 he had a record
24 275 rushing yards; he played 10 seasons with 1,000 or more
25 rushing yards; he made 3,838 rushing attempts; he had 4
26 consecutive seasons leading the NFL in rushing attempts; his
27 career combined net yards totaled 21,803, and his combined
28 net attempts in his career totaled 4,368; and
29 WHEREAS, On October 7, 1984 Walter Payton passed Jim
30 Brown's rushing record of 12,312 yards, setting up a
31 celebration in Soldier Field by his teammates and the fans in
32 attendance; and
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1 WHEREAS, Walter Payton retired from the Chicago Bears in
2 1987, and the Chicago Bears honored him by retiring his
3 jersey number, 34; on November 1, 1999, Walter Payton passed
4 away after a battle with cancer and liver disease; he is
5 survived by his wife, Connie; his son, Jarrett; and his
6 daughter, Brittney; and
7 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is proud to remember
8 people, places, things, or events that have been a major
9 influence on the State of Illinois; and
10 WHEREAS, One way the State of Illinois can bestow such an
11 honor is by renaming a major highway, interstate, or traffic
12 route; and
13 WHEREAS, The National Road was the nation's first
14 interstate highway, conceived by Thomas Jefferson and Albert
15 Gallatin, beginning in Cumberland, Maryland in 1811, and
16 ending in Illinois in 1833; and
17 WHEREAS, This road was the means of travel of our hardy
18 pioneer forefathers; and
19 WHEREAS, This road was rebuilt in the 1920's as U.S.
20 Route 40, beginning at the State line shared with Indiana,
21 running through such communities as Marshal, Martinsville,
22 Casey, Greenup, Jewett, Montrose, Teutopolis, Effingham,
23 Altamont, St. Elmo, Brownstown, Bluff City, Vandalia,
24 Mulberry Grove, Greenville, Pocahontas, Highland, St. Jacob,
25 Troy, Collinsville, and ending in East St. Louis at the
26 historic Eads Bridge and the Gateway to the West; and
27 WHEREAS, Thomas William Davenport was a licensed civil
28 engineer with the Illinois Department of Transportation; on
29 April 16, 1992, he was killed by a drunk driver north of his
30 home in Chatham, Illinois; and
31 WHEREAS, Thomas Davenport was a son, brother, husband,
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1 and a father; and
2 WHEREAS, Thomas Davenport, working with the Illinois
3 Department of Transportation, assisted with the building of
4 the bridge on South Chatham Road that crosses Interstate 72
5 and Illinois Route 36; and
6 WHEREAS, The bridge is located on South Chatham Road in
7 Springfield, Illinois, and is used as an overpass for
8 Interstate 72 and Illinois Route 36; and
9 WHEREAS, Justice Thurgood Marshall first brought his
10 cause to the courts as a private citizen and traveled
11 throughout the United States demanding that the legal system
12 uphold rights that the political system would not enforce;
13 and
14 WHEREAS, Justice Marshall constructed the legal arguments
15 which ended segregation in 1954, so that equality in America
16 truly could mean "getting the same thing, at the same time
17 and in the same place"; and
18 WHEREAS, Justice Marshall, as the chief legal officer of
19 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
20 People for more than 20 years, organized and implemented the
21 nation's first program of systematic public interest
22 litigation; and
23 WHEREAS, Justice Marshall ably served the public for over
24 three decades, as a judge on the United States Second Circuit
25 Court of Appeals, as Solicitor General of the United States,
26 and finally as the first African-American Justice of the
27 United States Supreme Court; and
28 WHEREAS, Justice Marshall remained true to the
29 Constitution in his crusade for equal educational and
30 employment opportunities, for First Amendment and
31 reproductive freedoms, and for preservation of the rights of
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1 the accused and the convicted; and
2 WHEREAS, Justice Marshall's life-long support for the
3 rights of the disenfranchised, the underprivileged, and the
4 powerless served as a constant reminder that this country was
5 founded upon the promise of equality - a promise which for
6 many has not yet been fulfilled; and
7 WHEREAS, Justice Marshall's contributions to the American
8 justice system will have an enduring impact on American
9 society and warrant a permanent public tribute; and
10 WHEREAS, Interstate 57, from Cairo to Chicago, links all
11 ethnic groups and economic strata of the State, passes
12 through notable sites in the State's struggle to ensure civil
13 rights, and is an appropriate public improvement to bear the
14 name of Justice Marshall; and
15 WHEREAS, Mark McGwire has brought the St. Louis Cardinals
16 fame and honor with his record setting 70 home runs; and
17 WHEREAS, Mark McGwire made certain that the 1998 baseball
18 season would be one the fans of the St. Louis Cardinals would
19 certainly remember; in June, he tied Reggie Jackson's record
20 of 37 home runs before the All-Star break; in August, he
21 became the only player in history to hit 50 home runs in 3
22 consecutive seasons; in September, he became the third player
23 ever to hit 60 home runs in a season; on September 8, 1998,
24 he broke the record of 61 home runs and went on to set a new
25 record of 70 home runs in a season; and
26 WHEREAS, The Poplar Street Bridge carries Interstates 55,
27 70, and 64 across the Mississippi River; and
28 WHEREAS, The members of the House were saddened to learn
29 of the death last year of Mayor Kenneth P. Hayes of Bradley;
30 and
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1 WHEREAS, He was elected mayor in 1981 and was re-elected
2 in 1985, 1989, 1993, and 1997; and
3 WHEREAS, Under Mayor Hayes' strong leadership, the
4 Village of Bradley experienced unprecedented commercial and
5 retail growth, amounting to large increases in sales tax
6 revenue to Bradley; and
7 WHEREAS, Much of the commercial growth and development
8 that Mayor Hayes worked for occurred along Illinois Route 50;
9 therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
12 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that Interstate 72, traversing
13 through the heart of Illinois, be designated as the
14 commemorative "Purple Heart Memorial Highway", to pay tribute
15 to the many thousands of Illinois residents who have been
16 awarded the Purple Heart medal; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
18 is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
19 State and federal regulations, an appropriate plaque or signs
20 giving notice to the Purple Heart Memorial Highway; and be it
21 further
22 RESOLVED, That the portion of Interstate Route 74 that
23 begins with the intersection of Interstate Route 74 with
24 Interstate Route 57 and ends with the intersection of
25 Interstate Route 74 with U.S. Route 45 is designated as the
26 Veterans Memorial Parkway; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is
28 requested to erect appropriate plaques along this route in
29 recognition of the Veterans Memorial Parkway; and be it
30 further
31 RESOLVED, That the following route from the
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1 Illinois-Indiana border to the Mississippi River be
2 designated the Historic Lincoln Highway:
3 Beginning at Dyer, Indiana, on US 30 to East Sauk Trail,
4 west of the Illinois - Indiana state line. The original
5 roadway the Village of Sauk to South Chicago Heights at
6 the intersection of IL Route I or the Dixie Highway. The
7 Lincoln Highway then traverses along the Dixie Highway to
8 Chicago Heights at its intersection with US 30. The route
9 followed US 30 to West Haven Road, east of New Lenox. At
10 this point, the route followed West Haven Road to North
11 Cedar Road, west of New Lenox, then north on North Cedar
12 Road to US 30. The route proceeds west on US 30 through
13 Joliet, Plainfield to Rance Road near the Kendall - Will
14 County Line. The route follows Rance Road to Harvey Road
15 back to US 30 just south of US 34. The route remains then
16 on US 30 to the US 30 bypass road, or Ohio Street, to
17 east Benton Street in Aurora. The Lincoln Highway follows
18 East Benton Street in Aurora to South LaSalle Street,
19 north to West Downer Street, to its intersection with IL
20 31 on the west side of Fox River. The Lincoln Highway
21 then follows IL 31 through north Aurora, Batavia, to IL
22 38 in Geneva. The Lincoln Highway follows IL 38 in Geneva
23 to Kaneville Road in Geneva, to Keslinger Road, west of
24 Geneva. The roadway follows Keslinger Road (County
25 Highway 41) to Schrader Road, southeast of Maple Park.
26 The Lincoln Highway traverses on Schrader Road to IL 38,
27 just southeast of Maple Park. Lincoln Highway then
28 follows IL 38 to DeKalb, Malta, East Street, the Lincoln
29 Highway turns south and follows East Street to Cederholm
30 to Main Street, south to North Street, west to Southwest
31 Street, north to South Beck, back to IL 38. The road then
32 follows IL 38 to Lincoln Street in Rochelle. The road
33 follows Lincoln Street to Lincoln Avenue (IL 38) in
34 Rochelle. The route proceeds west on IL 38 to Ashton at
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1 its intersection with Brown Street, south on Brown Street
2 in Ashton to Main Street, west on Main Street, to South
3 Richardson Road, south on South Richardson Road to Track
4 Road, Track Road back to IL 38 west of Ashton. The route
5 then follows IL 38 to South Elm Street in Franklin Grove,
6 south on South Elm Street to West Lahman, west on Lahman
7 to Franklin Road, south on Franklin Road to Gap Road,
8 back to IL 38, west on IL 38 through Dixon to its
9 intersection with US 52, north on US 52 (Galena Avenue)
10 to Everett Street (IL 2), west on IL 2 to Palmyra Road at
11 the west edge of Dixon. The Lincoln Highway then follows
12 Palmyra Road through Gap Grove, Prairieville, back to IL
13 2 just west of Whiteside - Lee County Line. The Lincoln
14 Highway follows IL 2 through Sterling on East 4th Street
15 to 10th Avenue, at 10th Avenue the Lincoln Highway goes
16 south to East 3rd Street then Second Avenue. The route
17 goes north on Second Avenue to 4th Street, then Lincoln
18 Highway follows 4th Street in Sterling westerly to its
19 intersection with Emerson Road. At Emerson the Lincoln
20 Highway traverses through Emerson back to US 30 just west
21 of Agnew. The Lincoln Highway then follows US 30 through
22 Morrison to its intersection with IL 136, just east of
23 Fulton. At Fulton the Lincoln Highway follows IL 136 to
24 the 16th Avenue intersection with IL 136. Lincoln Highway
25 follows 16th Avenue to its intersection with 15th Avenue,
26 and the route follows 15th Avenue to its intersection
27 with 4th Street, north on 4th Street to 10th Avenue west
28 on 10th Avenue to Second Street, north on Second Street
29 to its intersection with 9th Avenue, to the crossing of
30 the Mississippi River on the Lyons - Fulton Bridge to
31 Iowa; and be it further
32 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
33 and local agencies in their respective jurisdictions along
34 the Historic Lincoln Highway be requested to erect
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1 appropriate signs marking the route, consistent with State
2 and federal regulations; and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That the portion of Interstate Highway 39
4 commencing at its point of origin in Winnebago County and
5 ending with its intersection with Interstate Route 88 be
6 designated the E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi Highway; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is
8 requested to erect appropriate plaques or signs giving notice
9 to the E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi Highway; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That we wish to memorialize Chicago Bear great
11 Walter Payton by naming U.S. Route 34 the Walter Payton
12 Memorial Highway in tribute to this great athlete; and be it
13 further
14 RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is
15 requested to erect appropriate plaques or signs giving notice
16 to the Walter Payton Memorial Highway; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That U.S. Route 40 be renamed the Historic
18 National Road; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
20 be requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with
21 State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques, signs, or
22 markers giving notice to the Historic National Road; and be
23 it further
24 RESOLVED, That we urge the bridge on South Chatham Road,
25 spanning Interstate 72 and Illinois Route 36, be named the
26 Thomas William Davenport Memorial Bridge; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
28 be requested to erect, at a suitable location consistent with
29 State and federal regulations, an appropriate plaque or signs
30 giving notice of the name; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That the part of Interstate Route 57 of the
2 National System of Interstate and Defense Highways which is
3 within the State of Illinois is designated as the Thurgood
4 Marshall Memorial Freeway; and be it further
5 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
6 erect appropriate signs, markers, or plaques along the
7 highway in recognition of this designation; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That we proclaim the Poplar Street Bridge be
9 renamed the Mark McGwire Bridge and that we respectfully
10 request the Department of Transportation to erect, at
11 suitable locations, appropriate signs, markers, or plaques
12 giving notice of the name; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the portion of Illinois Route 50 from
14 North Street to Larry Power Road in Bradley is designated the
15 Kenneth P. Hayes Memorial Highway; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is
17 directed to erect appropriate signage along this route in
18 recognition of this designation; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
20 presented to: the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
21 Transportation; the Secretary of the Illinois Department of
22 Transportation; the family of E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi; the family
23 of Walter Payton; the family of Thomas William Davenport;
24 Mark McGwire; Mrs. Rose Hayes, the widow of Mayor Kenneth P.
25 Hayes; and the Village of Bradley.