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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Melvin R. Holden served in the United States Army 
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during World War II; he was sent to the European theater in 
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1942; he served in England prior to the D-Day invasion of 
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Normandy; after the invasion, he searched for suspected 
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poisonous gas rumored to be hidden throughout the European 
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continent; he returned to the United States on December 26, 
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1945; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Mauck Lane and its bridge  has a great significance 
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to Melvin R. Holden and his family; the road was named after 
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Mr. Holden's grandfather, who bought the street as a road to 
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the coal mine he worked in; his mother gave birth to him on an 
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acre of land that now holds the middle of the Mauck Lane 
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bridge; he built a home on Mauck Lane in 1957, where he raised 
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his 5 children; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During construction of the Mauck Lane bridge, 
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Melvin R. Holden assisted the bridge workers by providing lunch 
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spots under a maple tree and drinks from the house's well; 
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after construction was completed, he would regularly pick up 
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trash on the road during his walks; and

 
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    WHEREAS, After Melvin R. Holden retired from Central 
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Foundry in 1976, he moved to San Diego; despite the great 
 


 






HR0859
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LRB095 14858 GRL 40799 r




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distance, he returned often to visit his relatives who lived on 
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Mauck Lane; and


 
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    WHEREAS, Melvin R. Holden's dedication, both to his country 
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as a soldier and to his fellow citizens as a steward of the 
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Mauck Lane bridge, should be commended and praised in the 
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highest fashion; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
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the Mauck Lane bridge over Interstate 74, west of Danville in 
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Vermilion County, be designated the Melvin R. Holden Mauck Lane 
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Bridge; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation 
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is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with 
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State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs 
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giving notice of the name; and be it further
 
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    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
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delivered to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of 
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Transportation; the Secretary of the Illinois Department of 
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Transportation; and the Vermilion County Board.