HR0203 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0203 LRB096 11816 GRL 22661 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Bob Fallstrom for his 60 years of dedicated service at the Herald & Review in Decatur; and

WHEREAS, Bob Fallstrom was born in Dixon on December 5, 1926; he enjoyed sports, but his small frame wasn't very good at playing any of them; he began calling scores into the local newspaper in grade school and discovered that writing about sports was a good substitution for playing; he began working at the Dixon Evening Telegraph by the time he was a junior in high school; and

WHEREAS, Bob Fallstrom was drafted into the United States Army near the end of World War II in 1945; his proficiency at typing got him sent to the Pentagon, where he worked in the Adjutant General's Office and attained the rank of technical sergeant; despite the U.S. government wanting him to stay after the war, Mr. Fallstrom went home to Dixon and rejoined the Telegraph; with his reputation as a savvy writer spreading, the Decatur Herald offered him a weekly wage of $67.50 to go to Decatur and write sports for them; and

WHEREAS, Bob Fallstrom started his career at what was then the Decatur Herald on January 3, 1949, when he was 22 years old; by 1964, he became the newspaper's sports editor, a job he also quickly assumed for the Herald's sister paper, the evening Daily Review; he kept on in the post through the papers' acquisition by Lee Enterprises and continued as sports editor after the two publications merged into the Herald & Review in 1982; as sports editor, he ran himself and his staff ragged covering college sports and 100 high schools; he continued serving a sports editor until 1986, when he completely changed gears and became the newspaper's lifestyle editor; he currently serves as the community news editor as part of the lifestyle section of the newspaper; and

WHEREAS, Although currently known at the Herald & Review as a writer of stories celebrating shining, happy people doing nice things, Bob Fallstrom was well known at the paper for his shoot-from-the-hip, acid-dipped columns during his time as the sports editor that stirred up a lot of reader wrath, something that he loved; one of his more memorable stories involves him being chased by legendary wrestler Andre the Giant after a particularly incendiary column; and

WHEREAS, Bob Fallstrom was a co-founder of the Juvae Jazz Society; he is one of the founders of the GM Square Neighborhood Organization and has been a member of his neighborhood for 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Bob Fallstrom is an avid collector of giraffe ornaments, toys, and keepsakes, with approximately 75 ornaments in his collection; he enjoys listening to jazz and is a passionate fan of America's music; he has also visited more than 25 countries in the past 10 years, including China and the continents of Antarctica and Africa; and

WHEREAS, Bob Fallstrom met his late wife, June, on a blind date to see the circus in April of 1949; they were married six months later and stayed married for more than 50 years until her passing on October 23, 2000; together, they had six children, Kristin Hargrove, Douglas Fallstrom, R.B. Fallstrom, Jerrold Fallstrom, Rolf Fallstrom, and Erik Fallstrom; there are also ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Bob Fallstrom for his 60 years of dedicated service at the Herald & Review and wish him continued success and happiness in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Bob Fallstrom as a symbol of our esteem and respect.