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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is important to remember and honor those who
3gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to the State Of
4Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Illinois State Police Trooper Marvin C. Archer, a
6World War II veteran, was killed in a gunfight on June 18, 1946
7while attempting to apprehend two vehicle thieves at the
8intersection of Illinois Routes 6 and 9 near Paxton; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Trooper Archer and his partner, Vernon Harper,
10spotted the stolen vehicle and initiated a traffic stop; the
11two suspects opened fire, and both officers took cover and
12returned fire; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Trooper Archer was shot and died on the scene; and
 
14    WHEREAS, One of the suspects re-entered a vehicle and led
15Illinois and Indiana state police on a pursuit; he changed
16vehicles two more times before Illinois troopers found him
17approximately three hours later inside a parked vehicle near
18Champaign; three troopers opened fire and fatally shot the
19suspect multiple times; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Trooper Archer served two years with the Illinois

 

 

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1State Police and then two years as a combat engineer in the
2Pacific during World War II; he returned to his state police
3duties six months before his death; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Illinois State Police have saved countless
5lives by protecting the citizens of Illinois though law
6enforcement and patrolling the roadways of our State; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Trooper Archer is an example of the dedication and
8sacrifice of the Illinois State Police, and it is fitting we
9remember his sacrifice; therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
11HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
12SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of
13Illinois Route 9 between South Washington Street and High
14Street in Paxton as the "Trooper Marvin C. Archer Memorial
15Road"; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
17is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
18State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
19giving notice of the name "Trooper Marvin C. Archer Memorial
20Road"; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the family of Trooper Archer and the Secretary of
2Transportation.