093_HJ0019
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1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6,
3 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, the son of Nellie and John
4 Reagan; and
5 WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan and his family in 1915 moved to
6 Galesburg, Illinois, and he began his formal education at
7 Silas Willard School; and
8 WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan and his family then moved to
9 Monmouth, Illinois, and resided in that fair community during
10 his formative years from 1917-1919, and where he attended
11 Monmouth Central School; and
12 WHEREAS, When Ronald Reagan was 9 years of age, the
13 family settled in Dixon, Illinois, where at Dixon High School
14 he played football and basketball, ran track, served as
15 president of the student body, and first performed as an
16 actor; and
17 WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan graduated from Eureka College in
18 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology; and
19 WHEREAS, From humble beginnings, Ronald Reagan went on to
20 become a sportscaster, actor, Governor of California, and
21 President of the United States; and
22 WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the
23 United States in 1980; a favorite of the American populace,
24 he was elected to a second term in 1984; and
25 WHEREAS, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the
26 United States, warrants a public tribute as a son of
27 Illinois; and
28 WHEREAS, In 1999, portions of Illinois Route 172 and 92
29 from Tampico to Illinois Route 26 and the portions of
30 Illinois Route 26, Illinois Route 29, and U.S. Route 24 from
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1 Dixon to Eureka were designated as the Ronald Reagan Trail by
2 Senate Joint Resolution 3; and
3 WHEREAS, The cities of Princeton, Galesburg, and Monmouth
4 were essential in the upbringing of Ronald Reagan and should
5 be included in the Ronald Reagan Trail; and
6 WHEREAS, The members of the House were saddened to learn
7 of the death of Mayor Ken Hayes of Bradley; and
8 WHEREAS, He was elected mayor in 1981 and was re-elected
9 in 1985, 1989, 1993, and 1997; and
10 WHEREAS, He was born in Limestone Township on August 30,
11 1924, the son of Patrick and Catherine Hayes; the family
12 moved to Bradley when he was three months old, and until his
13 death he lived in the house that his father bought; and
14 WHEREAS, He attended St. Joseph's Grammar School and
15 Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School; he served in the
16 United States Army's 83rd Division, 331st Infantry, Company L
17 during World War II; he won the Silver Star, the Bronze Star
18 with clusters for meritorious service, a Good Conduct medal,
19 the European Theatre of Operations medal for five campaigns,
20 and the Croix de Guerre for service to France; and
21 WHEREAS, When he returned from war, Ken Hayes became a
22 precinct captain and then a committeeman; he was elected
23 vice-chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in Kankakee
24 County in 1966 and served in that role until 1972, when he
25 was elected central committee chairman; and
26 WHEREAS, When he arrived home from the Army, he worked in
27 the pipefitter's union local until he had a heart attack in
28 1963, which led him to quit his trade; he went to work
29 inspecting seed for the Illinois Department of Agriculture
30 and later worked for then Secretary of State Alan Dixon; and
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1 WHEREAS, He went to work for the Illinois Secretary of
2 State and retired with a disability pension after a heart
3 bypass operation in 1978; and
4 WHEREAS, He was the founder of the Area Jobs Development
5 Association, active in scouting, golfing, the Bradley Lions,
6 and a life member of the Bradley VFW; and
7 WHEREAS, Under Mayor Hayes' strong leadership, the
8 Village of Bradley experienced unprecedented commercial and
9 retail growth amounting to large increases in sales tax
10 revenue to Bradley; and
11 WHEREAS, He was a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose
12 Lodge of Bradley, one of the vice presidents of the Illinois
13 Municipal League, and a member of the Mayors Association; and
14 WHEREAS, Much of the commercial growth and development
15 that Kenneth P. Hayes worked for occurred along Illinois
16 Route 50; therefore, be it
17 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
19 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Ronald Reagan Trail is
20 extended to include those portions of U.S. Route 34 from the
21 City of Princeton, through the City of Galesburg, to the City
22 of Monmouth; and be it further
23 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation,
24 in accordance with applicable State and federal laws and
25 rules and in cooperation with units of local government, be
26 requested to erect appropriate signs, markers, or plaques
27 along the extended portions of the Ronald Reagan Trail in
28 recognition of this designation; and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That Illinois Route 50 in Bradley, Illinois,
30 from North Street to Larry Power Road, is designated as the
31 Kenneth P. Hayes Memorial Highway; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
2 is directed to erect, at suitable locations consistent with
3 State regulations, appropriate plaques or signage giving
4 notice of the renaming of Illinois Route 50 in Bradley,
5 Illinois, from North Street to Larry Power Road, as the
6 Kenneth P. Hayes Memorial Highway; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
8 presented to Mrs. Rose Hayes, to the Village of Bradley, and
9 to the Illinois Department of Transportation.