HR0485 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0485 LRB100 13070 MST 27457 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Jesse Davis of Chicago on the occasion of his 100th birthday; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Davis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on August 21, 1917, the second of 15 children; he began working on the family farm at a young age; he was also a young entrepreneur and held numerous odd jobs, including collecting bottles to recycle, mowing lawns, and washing planes; he eventually became a crop duster pilot and received a Class A pilot license; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Davis married Beatrice Bell in 1940 and they were married for 73 years until her passing in 2013; they had two sons, three granddaughters, one grandson, and seven great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Davis entered the United States Air Force in 1943; he was the only African American to have a pilots license upon entering the Air Force; he attended Fisk University while driving trucks from Mississippi to New York; he then went to work constructing an electrical line from Warm Springs, Georgia to Dallas, Texas; he also repaired engines for Caterpillar and John Deere; he helped construct a bridge over the Mississippi River; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Davis and his wife settled in Chicago in 1950; he worked various jobs in Chicago over the next 30 years; he worked as a maintenance engineer at Wisconsin Steel and Coca Cola; in 1960, he enrolled in a mechanical engineering systems class at Tilden High School; he completed a training program for employment at the Ford Motor Company in Melrose Park and immediately joined Ford's Truck Engine Department in Dearborn, Michigan; he retired from McCarthy Lincoln as a mechanic in 1981; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Davis always paid special attention to his health; he has not had anything to drink other than water and fresh juices since the age of 19; he is still driving, living, and thinking for himself; and

WHEREAS, Jesse Davis enjoys sports, walking, and watching a little television; the last time he played basketball was at the age of 97; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Jesse Davis on his 100th birthday, and we wish him many more wonderful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jesse Davis as an expression of our esteem and respect.