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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, "The Enterprise" has brought the people of the
3community of Plainfield, Illinois together every week for 125
4years; the paper was first published on August 10, 1887; and
 
5    WHEREAS, 1887 is an important year in Plainfield's history;
6in that year, a steam whistle echoed over the prairies and a
7short line ancestor of what was eventually known as the Elgin,
8Joliet, and Eastern Railway, which had begun to offer service
9from Joliet to Normantown, began to be knitted into other
10railroad tracks stretching from Indiana to near Waukegan; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Local farmers began to bring their crops to
12Plainfield for shipping, and to shop in Plainfield for the
13goods needed to clothe and supply themselves and their
14families; such a thriving new town on the Illinois farm fields
15needed a weekly newspaper to tell it more about itself; and
 
16    WHEREAS, When "The Enterprise" was first published, the
17technology of newspaper production was shifting from handset
18type to newspapers printed with linotype technology, involving
19the setup and layout of stories printed from type metal cast at
20the print shop; more revolutions have taken place since that
21long-ago day; the changes in our daily lives that have happened
22from 1887 until 2012 defy human comprehension and point out the

 

 

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1essential importance of an institution, such as "The
2Enterprise", that can provide continuity to the lives of the
3members of our families and communities; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The continuity and stability shown by "The
5Enterprise" became an unforgettable asset on August 28, 1990,
6when the community was victimized by one of the most tragic
7weather incidents in the history of Illinois; the first and so
8far only F5-level tornado ever to touch down in the greater
9Chicago area tore through Plainfield, causing the deaths of 29
10Illinoisans and injuries to an estimated 350 of their
11neighbors; the victims and survivors of this incident are
12remembered and honored to this day; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In the years since 1990, the Plainfield area has
14undergone a revolution even more filled with impact than any
15storm of nature, with tens of thousands of new residents
16joining hands to commit themselves to the municipality of
17Plainfield and the housing subdivisions in and around it; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Plainfield's reputation throughout the greater
19Chicago area as an attractive location to raise a family, go to
20school, buy a home, drive to a job, and live a successful life
21as a mature Illinoisan, has created new joys and challenges for
22this community, its schools, its churches and places of
23religious worship, its health care providers, and its other

 

 

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1local institutions, of the type which only a newspaper can
2cover and represent; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The community institutions and professionals of
4Plainfield, its schools, churches, scouting groups, senior
5citizens' organizations, ombudsmen's desks, and helping
6professionals, will continue to look to "The Enterprise" to
7"get the word out" about the joys and challenges of the
8community of which they are a part; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The annual Plainfield Fest in downtown Plainfield
10is scheduled to include, on July 21, 2012, an observance and
11celebration of the 125th birthday of "The Enterprise";
12therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we commend "The Enterprise" upon 125 years of useful life and
16service to the community of Plainfield, northwest Will County,
17and eastern Kendall County; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to Publisher Richard Masterson, of "The Enterprise",
20as a signal of the General Assembly's support for the work the
21newspaper's owner, publisher, executive staff, employees, and
22contractors have done and continue to do for the community of

 

 

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1Plainfield and the people of Illinois.