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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of United | ||||||
| 4 | States Navy Lieutenant Robert Clem Allison, originally of | ||||||
| 5 | Robinson, who passed away on August 11, 1955; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Lt. Robert Allison was decorated with the National | ||||||
| 7 | Defense
Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United | ||||||
| 8 | Nations Service Medal, and the Korean
Presidential Unit | ||||||
| 9 | Citation Badge; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Lt. Robert Allison was a 1946 Robinson High School | ||||||
| 11 | graduate and an outstanding athlete; he was captain of the | ||||||
| 12 | basketball team that went 31-3, qualifying for State; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, After graduating from high school, Lt. Robert | ||||||
| 14 | Allison enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served for | ||||||
| 15 | 2 years; he subsequently received an appointment to the United | ||||||
| 16 | States Naval Academy at Annapolis; after graduating from the | ||||||
| 17 | Naval Academy, he served for 18 months aboard the heavy cruiser | ||||||
| 18 | USS Bremerton during the Korean War; he later signed up for | ||||||
| 19 | flight school in Pensacola, Florida and was assigned to the | ||||||
| 20 | carrier USS Lake Champlain in Florida; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, On August 11, 1955, Lt. Robert Allison happened to | ||||||
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| 1 | be flying toward Jacksonville, Florida when the engine of his | ||||||
| 2 | Banshee F2H4 jet blew out; he made an emergency landing on U.S. | ||||||
| 3 | Route 27, near where there is a dedicated marker; he touched | ||||||
| 4 | down and was rolling to a stop when a loaded logging truck and | ||||||
| 5 | a car rounded a bend and were suddenly heading right at him; he | ||||||
| 6 | avoided hitting them by intentionally soaring into a cypress | ||||||
| 7 | swamp; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Lt. Robert Allison was buried in Illinois; his | ||||||
| 9 | parents were notified that he died in a training accident; | ||||||
| 10 | there is no recollection that official recognition was given to | ||||||
| 11 | him that he had saved people on the ground; therefore, be it
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| 12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 13 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 14 | we honor the selfless sacrifice that Lieutenant Robert Clem | ||||||
| 15 | Allison made so that others may live; and be it further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 17 | presented to William A. Jordan,
Lt. Allison's last living | ||||||
| 18 | relative and a retired United States Air Force Colonel, as an | ||||||
| 19 | expression of our deepest sympathy and gratitude for the | ||||||
| 20 | sacrifice Lt. Robert Allison made for our nation.
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