HR0895 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0895 LRB104 21709 MST 37319 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Standing between First and Fourth Streets on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, Memorial Stadium, dedicated in 1924, is a structure revered for its Classic Revival architectural style and for its historical significance both to the University and to the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, As the stadium committee charged with building the structure wished to build a memorial for the people of Illinois who served, were wounded, and died during World War I, George Huff assembled a group of active and interested alumni in November 1921 that presented a formal request to the Illinois Department of the American Legion for the stadium to be officially recognized as a state memorial; and

WHEREAS, After making the request, the stadium committee, the Board of Trustees, the Alumni Association, and the Athletic Association formally began the campaign to build the stadium, which was constructed between 1923 and 1924 and was dedicated as the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium on October 28, 1924; and

WHEREAS, At the October 1924 dedication ceremony, the president of the University of Illinois, David Kinley, said that "This stadium is a memorial to those of the University who died in the World War. We cannot hallow it by our words, but they have hallowed it by their deaths in defense of ideals and principles in which they believed… The uses to which this great structure are put must be uses which exemplify those principles"; and

WHEREAS, Those words were a promise to those Illini who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the springtime of their lives; and

WHEREAS, To engrave this dedication into the stadium itself, the names of the 189 University of Illinois World War I fallen were inscribed onto the 200 columns that support, mark, and define the structure of the stadium; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, the stadium dedication was extended to those who died in World War II and honors the 948 alumni, students, faculty, and staff who were killed in our nation's wars and conflicts since 1918 and whose names are engraved on one of four limestone tablets at the entrances to Memorial Stadium's east and west colonnades; and

WHEREAS, When it was originally dedicated in 1924, and for 102 years thereafter, the structure continued to be known as Memorial Stadium, an enduring landmark intended to honor those University of Illinois alumni, students, faculty, and staff who died in service to their country in World War I and subsequent conflicts and to remember their sacrifices; and

WHEREAS, Memorial Stadium came to be seen as a perpetual place of honor for the 351,153 men and women from Illinois who served in World War I, including the more than 5,000 who died in service; and

WHEREAS, Every graduate of the University of Illinois owes a great measure of gratitude for what the University gave them, both in the way of an education and the lessons of life, and the entire State of Illinois owes the same measure of gratitude for gifts both large and small to the University by thousands of alumni, reinforcing the University of Illinois' reputation as a beacon of academic excellence; and

WHEREAS, On September 18, 2025, after accepting a $100 million gift from Larry Gies together with his wife, Beth Gies, the renaming of Memorial Stadium was unanimously approved by the university's Board of Trustees, meaning Memorial Stadium would now be known as Gies Memorial Stadium; and

WHEREAS, Acknowledging the board's action, Mr. Gies said "This gift is about honoring my father, a true patriot, and every brave soul who has worn or will wear the uniform to defend our country. With this investment we can ensure that this stadium continues to be a place where their sacrifices will never be forgotten and a shining light for every American who protects our freedoms in the future"; and

WHEREAS, While Memorial Stadium has always been "a place where their sacrifices will never be forgotten", it is also a reminder that the only names that should be permanently associated with the structure are those who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose names are inscribed on its columns and limestone tablets; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express gratitude to Larry Gies and to Beth Gies for their acts of profound generosity to the University of Illinois System, and that we recognize the debt that Larry Gies feels every day of his life to his father Larry Gies Sr. and to the University that helped to educate him for success in life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express continuing and undiminished gratitude to those who have fallen in service to the United States of America, this gratitude being symbolized by the recognition of those from the University of Illinois who served and died in World War I and subsequent conflicts; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we believe that on October 28, 1924, the University of Illinois made a solemn pledge at the dedication ceremony of Memorial Stadium to those whose names are inscribed on its columns, a pledge that should not be altered for the sake of obtaining funding from alumni or any other entity; and be it further

RESOLVED, That while we hold the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois in highest regard, we respectfully object to the Board's decision to change the name of Memorial Stadium to Gies Memorial Stadium; and be it further

RESOLVED, That while we are grateful for the generosity of the donors and the intent of the Board of Trustees to acknowledge their gift, we believe that there are other and more appropriate means by which the University can display its gratitude for the donation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, and Larry and Beth Gies to agree that an alternate means of acknowledging their gift is appropriate, and that by doing so we thereby keep faith with the promise made on October 28, 1924 to those honored dead whose names are inscribed on the stadium's columns; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we believe the name of the structure standing between First and Fourth Streets on the campus of the University of Illinois be permanently restored to "Memorial Stadium"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the University of Illinois, the Chairman of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, the Director of the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, and Larry and Beth Gies.