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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Terrance J. "T.J." Shirley was a dedicated athlete | ||||||
| 3 | with an outstanding understanding of sports, and it translated | ||||||
| 4 | into exposing
his students to all types of experiences that | ||||||
| 5 | promote dedication, leadership, and academic
prowess; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley's lifetime goal is to continue to | ||||||
| 7 | help each and every
student achieve success; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley has been an educator in Thornton | ||||||
| 9 | Township High School District 205 and has made
substantial | ||||||
| 10 | contributions to the district, the State, and the country | ||||||
| 11 | through an unyielding
dedication to education that has touched | ||||||
| 12 | the lives of generations of Thornridge Falcons; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley, in his role as a varsity track | ||||||
| 14 | coach, has become
nearly legendary at Thornridge High School | ||||||
| 15 | and in Thornton Township, as his great success over the
decades | ||||||
| 16 | is indicative of his mastery of the sport; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, The faculty, staff, and community of Thornridge | ||||||
| 18 | has submitted over
575 signatures in support of T.J. Shirley | ||||||
| 19 | and has heard testimony from over 50 students,
parents, faculty | ||||||
| 20 | members, and community members; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Before coming to Thornridge High School, T.J. | ||||||
| 2 | Shirley was a
student athlete at Dubuque University, where he | ||||||
| 3 | earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1981 and
was an | ||||||
| 4 | outstanding track athlete, setting many school records, 2 of | ||||||
| 5 | which
he still holds today; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley was an outstanding physical | ||||||
| 7 | education teacher and
coach of multiple sports at Thornridge | ||||||
| 8 | High School, ultimately becoming athletic
director; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley has had very successful programs and | ||||||
| 10 | coached 2 varsity
conference championships and 2 | ||||||
| 11 | freshman-sophomore conference championships; he coached
62 | ||||||
| 12 | individual varsity conference champions, 67 individual | ||||||
| 13 | freshman-sophomore conference champions, and 36 State | ||||||
| 14 | medalists, including 3 individual State champions, 5 indoor | ||||||
| 15 | track
school record holders, and 14 outdoor track school record | ||||||
| 16 | holders; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley has developed many student athletes | ||||||
| 18 | who went on to college or university athletic programs, and he | ||||||
| 19 | has mentored thousands of grateful
students and athletes; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, T.J. Shirley was well known for his annual | ||||||
| 21 | athletic field event
known as "Blue Smoke" to the community; | ||||||
| 22 | and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Thornton Township High School District 205's | ||||||
| 2 | Board of Education has received a resolution from the Student | ||||||
| 3 | Board of Education in support of renaming the track at | ||||||
| 4 | Thornridge High School in honor of T.J. Shirley; therefore, be | ||||||
| 5 | it
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| 6 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 7 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 8 | urge Thornton Township High School District 205 to rename its | ||||||
| 9 | track in honor of Terrance J. "T.J." Shirley; and be it further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 11 | presented to the Thornton Township High School District 205 | ||||||
| 12 | Board of Education.
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