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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, York Community High School, located in Elmhurst,
3 Illinois, has a long and illustrious history of athletic
4 accomplishments, especially in boys and girls cross country
5 and track and field; and
6 WHEREAS, That school now has a young lady named Molly
7 Marcucci gracing it as an outstanding student and athlete;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, Molly is fortunate to be a part of a close-knit
10 family, and is the third of five daughters of Mimi and Tom
11 Marcucci; and
12 WHEREAS, In February, 1998, Molly was diagnosed with
13 osteocarcoma, a bone cancer that afflicts up to 1,000 people
14 each year; and
15 WHEREAS, Molly exhibited uncommon courage and
16 determination that belies her young age by enduring a lengthy
17 and grueling regimen of surgery and chemotherapy that
18 assaulted her body, but never dampened her determination or
19 spirit; during the entire ordeal, Molly's maturity, up-beat
20 nature, and incredible fortitude buoyed the entire Marcucci
21 family; and
22 WHEREAS, In defiance of her condition, Molly found the
23 strength of character and maturity of soul to worry about and
24 become a role model for others stricken with the disease,
25 thereby becoming a profile in courage to cancer victims and
26 survivors alike; this bravery proved to be contagious to all
27 who were lucky enough to witness her heroism firsthand, and
28 caused others to realize that the ravages of treatment are
29 not reason for shame; and
30 WHEREAS, Despite her treatments that caused many days
31 away from school, Molly continued to excel at her studies and
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1 became the editor of her school newspaper; and
2 WHEREAS, Molly not only fought back from the ravages of
3 the disease and its treatment, but also never gave up her
4 athletic dreams, and started again competing on York's cross
5 country team as a co-captain; despite the physical effects
6 that lingered after treatment that would cause many to quit,
7 Molly displayed raw determination and heart necessary to
8 slowly regain her status as a championship-quality runner;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, Despite all that she has been through, Molly,
11 with the help and support of her teammates, was able to make
12 an amazing comeback after an absence of one year from the
13 team, and turned in her personal record 800-meter run of 2
14 minutes, 26 seconds, saying afterward that "if you can handle
15 pain for two weeks, you can handle this for two minutes"; and
16 WHEREAS, Along with their outstanding coach, Annette
17 Schulte, the team of Laura Fitzgerald, Eva Zellman, Molly
18 Marcucci, and Cecelia Williams have continued York Community
19 High School's 79-year tradition of athletic excellence by
20 winning its third consecutive State title in the 3,200 relay
21 in the Girls Class AA State Track and Field Championships in
22 Molly's last race of her last high school season; and
23 WHEREAS, By virtue of her accomplishments, she struck
24 back at the disease that challenged her through her ability
25 to return to what is normal for her, but extraordinary for
26 the average young person; and
27 WHEREAS, Molly Marcucci will forever be known as a winner
28 in every sense of the word, not only for seeing the race to
29 the end, but for obstacles that she obliterated during the
30 running; therefore, be it
31 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
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1 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2 we congratulate Molly Marcucci, who will be attending DePaul
3 University this fall where she hopes to continue her track
4 career, and her teammates, including Eva Zellman, who has
5 competed in the World Jewish Olympics and is an accomplished
6 flautist; Cecelia Williams, who is one of the most prolific
7 and committed female athletes at York High School, placing in
8 the Footlocker National Games, and has been granted a full
9 scholarship to the University of Illinois; Laura Fitzgerald,
10 who, as a junior, is the youngest on the relay team and is
11 not only an accomplished athlete, but also a gifted student
12 who is ranked high in her class; and their coach, Annette
13 Schulte, who, through her dedication to these young women,
14 guided their training and strategy for their winning effort
15 in the 3,200 relay in the Girls Class AA State Track and
16 Field Championships with a phenomenal time of 9:21.24; and be
17 it further
18 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to Molly Marcucci, Eva Zellman, Cecelia Williams,
20 Laura Fitzgerald, and their coach, Annette Schulte.