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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are pleased to congratulate the citizens of the 
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Village of Mundelein on the occasion of the Village's 100th 
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year of incorporation on February 1, 2009; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The long and rich history of the Village of 
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Mundelein began in 1835, when Peter Shaddle, the area's first 
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known settler, built a log cabin on what is now the grounds of 
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St. Mary of the Lake Seminary; around the same time, a group of 
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English emigrants came to the area to escape the industrial 
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depression occurring in England; the tradesmen became farmers 
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and named their new community "Mechanics Grove" after the life 
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they left behind, building churches and schools and expanding 
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the settlement to the Diamond Lake area; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During the expansion of Mechanics Grove, a man by 
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the name of John Holcomb purchased a large tract of land in the 
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area and became active in the leadership of the rapidly 
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developing area; in his honor, the unincorporated community 
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changed its name to "Holcomb"; the area of Holcomb continued to 
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grow, gaining a railroad station and a post office; in February 
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of 1909, the Holcomb area became incorporated under the name of 
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"Rockefeller", in honor of railroad owner William Rockefeller; 
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and

 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, The town of Rockefeller boasted grain elevators, 
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various stores and hotels, and the various amenities of a small 
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but active town, but didn't keep the new name very long; Arthur 
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Sheldon, an educational entrepreneur in town, bought 600 acres 
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to build a school for sales techniques, which attracted a peak 
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of 10,000 students, including many women, an unusual feat for 
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the times; the school flourished for a few years, and made such 
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an impact on the town that they accepted Sheldon's request in 
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July of 1909 to rename the newly incorporated Village to 
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"Area", an acronym for his sales school philosophy, "Ability, 
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Reliability, Endurance, and Action"; his school was to close 
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only a few years later; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In 1921, Archbishop (soon to be Cardinal) George 
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Mundelein of Chicago bought Arthur Sheldon's property and 
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authorized the construction of St. Mary's of the Lake Seminary, 
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a new $10 million construction project; to this day, the campus 
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remains a seminary and religious retreat for the Catholic 
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Archdiocese of Chicago, with facilities for up to 400 students; 
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in 1926, the 28th International Eucharist Conference, which was 
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held at the seminary, brought an estimated 500,000 people to 
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Area, a village of 500 people; in recognition of Cardinal 
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Mundelein's success with the new seminary, the village changed 
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its name again in 1924 to its current name, Mundelein; in 
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thanks, the Cardinal donated the Village's first new fire truck 
 


 






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in 1925; the current Village Hall is the same structure today 
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that was built in 1929 with a few additions; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The following decades have brought the Village of 
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Mundelein great growth in its industry, business, and 
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population, who now look forward to adding great new chapters 
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to Mundelein's history in the decades to come; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate the citizens of the Village of Mundelein on the 
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occasion of the village's 100th year of incorporation and wish 
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them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Kenneth H. Kessler, Mayor of the Village of 
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Mundelein, and the Mundelein Board of Trustees as a symbol of 
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our esteem and respect.