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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to honor Bill Haller for his many
4achievements; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bill Haller was born on February 28, 1935, in
6Joliet; his father, Frank "The Fox" Haller, worked at the
7Joliet steel mills and his mother, Julia Haller, was a
8stay-at-home mom who raised her 3 children; he has one sister,
9Joyce Ganz, and one brother, Tom (deceased), who played Major
10League Baseball and served as the Assistant General Manager of
11the Chicago White Sox and the General Manager of the San
12Francisco Giants; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Bill Haller was raised in Fairmont, a blue-collar
14neighborhood in Will County that is still very dear to his
15heart; he graduated from Fairmont Grade School and Lockport
16Township High School (Class of 1953); while in high school, he
17was a standout 3-sport athlete; in 1955, he graduated from
18Joliet Junior College; while at college, he excelled in
19baseball and basketball; he served as captain of the 1955 JJC
20basketball team, which qualified for the National Junior
21College Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Although Bill Haller wore many uniforms

 

 

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1throughout his career, the one that made him most proud was the
2United States Army uniform he wore for 2 years after his
3enlistment in 1955, including 16 months in Korea; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Bill Haller had a long and distinguished career as
5a baseball umpire; he began umpiring in 1958 in the Class D
6Georgia/Florida League of the Minor Leagues; in 1960, he
7umpired in the Class B Northwest League; in 1961, he was
8promoted to the Triple A Pacific Coast League; in 1962, he
9worked the diamond in the International League in Triple A; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Bill Haller began his 20-year career in 1962 as a
11Major League umpire in the American League; during his umpire
12career, he worked in 4 World Series (1968, 1972, 1978, and
131981); he also worked in 4 All Star games (1968, 1973, 1975,
14and 1977) and 4 American League playoff series (1969, 1971,
151975, and 1977); on July 14, 1972, he umpired home plate while
16his brother, Tom, crouched down in front of him as the catcher
17for the Detroit Tigers in a game against the Kansas City
18Royals; this was the first and only brother umpire/catcher
19combination in any game in Major League history; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Today, Bill Haller is often referred to by
21baseball writers, broadcasters, and fans as "that legendary
22Major League umpire"; he was well known in Major League
23Baseball as a no-nonsense umpire, whose famous verbal

 

 

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1confrontations with Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver are
2now part of the greatest moments of baseball lore; and
 
3    WHEREAS, After his retirement as an umpire, Bill Haller
4continued working for Major League Baseball as the assistant
5supervisor of umpires from 1983 to 1985; in 1986, he scouted
6for the Chicago White Sox; in 1987, he was hired by George
7Steinbrenner to scout for the New York Yankees; in 1993, he
8returned to Major League Baseball to initiate its umpire
9development program, where he remained until his retirement in
101994; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 2007, Bill Haller was named one of the Lockport
12Township High School Legends of Basketball from the past 100
13years; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Bill Haller and his wife, Sally, are the loving
15parents of Albert and Jenny and the grandparents of Kelsie,
16Brooke, Mitchell, Sydney, Jesse, and Joshua; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we honor Bill Haller for his many achievements and wish him
20success and happiness in the future; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to Bill Haller as a symbol of our esteem, gratitude,
2and respect.