HR0572 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0572 LRB094 12854 HSS 47700 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Bill Holden, a 56 year-old teacher from Elgin, became a die-hard Cubs fan after attending his first game at Wrigley Field in 1957; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Holden received his teaching degree from Southern Illinois University and has worked in the public school system for the last 32 years; and

WHEREAS, Since relocating to Arizona, Mr. Holden has been instrumental in helping and teaching diabetic children on Indian Reservations; and

WHEREAS, Inspired by the film "This Old Cub", which chronicles Ron Santo's lifelong battle with juvenile diabetes, Mr. Holden decided to raise money for juvenile diabetes research by walking from his home in Arizona to Wrigley Field; and

WHEREAS, Beginning on Tuesday, January 11, 2005, in Camp Verde, Arizona, Mr. Holden began his walk across America to raise $250,000 to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Holden has undertaken such tasks before, such as in 1968, when he walked 330 miles from Carbondale to Chicago to raise money for the USO, and in 1969, when he bicycled from Carbondale to Washington, D.C., to celebrate Southern Illinois University's centennial; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Holden completed his amazing journey on July 1, 2005, by entering Wrigley Field from the entrance in right field and stopping on home plate; he was given the additional honor of joining with Ron Santo to throw out the first pitch of the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Mr. Bill Holden on his accomplishment of walking 2,100 miles across the United States of America to raise $250,000 for juvenile diabetes research; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Holden as an expression of our respect and esteem and with best wishes for success in all of his future endeavors.