HR1167 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1167 LRB100 22304 ALS 41080 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 on the occasion of its upcoming 100th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, The Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 was chartered by a group of World War I veterans on September 26, 1919; the post was named in memory of three Elmhurst residents, Earnest Timrott, Richard Hintz, and Kinsely Buck, who were the first from the city to be killed in battle; at the time of its founding, the Post had 19 charter members; by 1924, membership had increased to 39; by 1927, with considerable effort from Commander Arden Nance, the membership total exceeded the 300 mark; and

WHEREAS, The Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 has a rich history; in the late 1920s, the Post formed the American Legion Baseball League in DuPage County, and has had a team since 1926 and competed in the State playoffs in 1929; in 1976, the team participated in the State finals and placed third; in the 1930s, the Post led the campaign for the construction of the East End Swimming Pool; during the 1940s, the Post purchased its first home and was instrumental in raising funds for the first public display of fireworks at the July 4th celebration; in the 1960s, the T.H.B. Post 187 Drill Team was formed, and the Post contributed to the commemoration of the new Elmhurst Library; in 1976, a color guard was formed to compete in state championships; the team won first place in 1977 and 1979; the Post contributed to Disaster Relief Funds and helped with the American Cancer Society Bike-a-Thon in the 1980s; six Post members were awarded 50-year memberships in 1994; and

WHEREAS, The Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 continues to serve the community in many ways, including planning and participating in the Memorial Day Parade and Veteran's Day Ceremony, helping to establish the Elmhurst Veteran's Memorial in Wilder Park, providing an honor guard for the funerals of veterans, conducting color guard services for various civic organizations and programs, assisting the Elmhurst Fire Department with establishing an Honor Guard Academy, periodically sending supply packages to troop deployed overseas, and hosting the Great Lakes naval recruits for Thanksgiving; and

WHEREAS, The Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 assists veterans with a variety of needs, including obtaining discharge documents, assisting with admission to Hines Hospital, helping the family of a deceased veteran find a burial plot in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, finding transportation for veterans to hospital and doctor appointments, and developing educational programs for veterans; and

WHEREAS, The Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 helps local students by providing information about the Post and veterans, awarding scholarships and other school awards to local students on an annual basis, and teaching scouts the fundamentals of flag etiquette, patriotism, and the value of community service; they also send veterans to Elmhurst College classes to speak about military service; and

WHEREAS, The American Legion was chartered by Congress as a patriotic, mutual-help, war-time veteran's organization in 1919; the American Legion is a community-service organization with nearly three million members organized into 15,000 Posts worldwide; the Elmhurst American Legion has been serving veterans and the Elmhurst community for nearly 100 years; the membership includes 550 veterans, 140 Women's Auxiliary, and 127 Sons of the American Legion Squadron; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 on the occasion of its upcoming 100th anniversary, and we commend their service to veterans and their community; we wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187 as an expression of our esteem and respect.